On September 11, 2001, the world changed forever with the devastating attacks on both the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Alan Jackson’s “Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)” embodied the thoughts and feelings of millions in the wake of the events that took place 12 years ago.

There is audio from country superstar Alan Jackson sharing memories and thoughts on the events of September 11, 2001 and discussing his song, “Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning),” as well as remembrances from Lady Antebellum, Eric Church and Eric Paslay.

The chorus and melody of “Where Were You…” came to Jackson in the middle of the night several weeks after the 9/11 tragedies. He awoke…sang the words into a recorder and wrote down key elements of the chorus…and completed the lyrics and verses later that same day. Initially reluctant to record the song, he was convinced by family and friends to share it with the world and debuted “Where Were You…” live on national television in early November at the 35th annual CMA Awards.

AJ (Where Were You) 2 OC: …same feelings. 1:33
“Well, I don’t know – I think I was probably like most people that were impacted with that day and the months that followed. You know, everybody was glued to the news and television and I think it really affected a lot of people – their perspective on their lives and their jobs and their families and where they were and what they were wanting to do and how they looked at things. And I guess…I mean, that’s what I was thinking, too. And I just pretty much visualized a lot of those scenes and stories I’d heard and seen on television or heard people talk about. The song came out of nowhere in the middle of the night – the chorus did. Just a gift. And I got up and scribbled it down and put the melody down so I wouldn’t forget it, and then the next day I started piecing all those verses together that were the thoughts I’d had or visuals I’d had, and…that was about it. I think it was just really…I had so many people tell me that there’s always a line or something in there that they did, whether it was go to church or pick up their Bible or go see their mother or watch a sunset – I mean, just a lot of things in there people told me that they had actually done those things, so…I guess I was like everybody else, just feeling those same feelings.”

Lady A (9-11 Charles) OC: …everybody. :30
“It was my birthday believe it or not. Yeah. 9/11. So, I was in college, and yeah, it was wild. I mean, woke up, was getting ready to go to class. And I had a roommate come in and say, ‘Man, turn on the TV. Classes are canceled. You won’t believe…’ He had had an earlier class, and he comes in and says, ‘Turn on the TV.’ And we all got up and watched it. It was just wild. So, it’s hard to put into words. But it is funny, that it’s still and I can remember it and everybody can. It had such a huge Effect on everybody.” 

Lady A (9-11 Hillary) OC: …we’re protected. 1:19
“I was in 10th grade, which is weird to think that I was in 10th grade and Charles and Dave were in college. But I was actually on my way to history class, interestingly enough, and so we got to that class and turned the TV on, and we’re just watching the footage and then our, we ended up having an assembly that day where the whole school went into the gym and our headmaster got up and explained kind of everything that was going on and what happened. And it is. It’s one of those things that’s forever ingrained in your memory. And I actually had a close friend of mine, it’s actually my God sister’s dad has been in the military and he’s retired now. But he was on his way to the Pentagon and didn’t get there. But so luckily before everything happened but it’s just, I think everyone has that personal connection to it no matter if you knew someone there or not. It’s just … and I think too not only is it a time to reflect on those lost in that tragedy, I think it’s a time to really celebrate our military. And just another way of bringing praise to them and thanking them for what they do, which is protect us and protect our freedom on a daily basis. And thankfully nothing like that has happened since. And I think that that’s a testament to how well we’re protected.”

Lady A (9-11 Dave) OC: …were lost. :27
“Gosh, I mean as a human, it just completely breaks your heart. And as an American, it was such a devastating tragedy. Gosh, I mean that it still affects us 10 years later, and it will for the rest of our lives. I mean, there’s no doubt that it will. But I think as people and as a country, we’re stronger for it and going to keep pushing forward. And our goal is to get rid of people that would do evil like that in the world. So it’s tough to have that happen to us but we’ll always remember those that were lost.”

Eric Church (9-11) OC: …that feeling. :23
“I was driving into work — the Shop-At-Home Network — I was listening to Gerry House, I remember that, and the news broke. [I] really couldn’t grasp what had happened until I got to work and saw it for myself on television. I remember I watched the second plane hit the tower in real time. I had just moved to Nashville earlier that year, and all I remember is wanting to go home and be with those I loved. I’ll never, I’ll never forget that feeling.”

Eric Paslay (9-11) OC: …I’ll never forget it. :31
“On 9/11, I remember I was a freshman in college, and I was in a class early that morning and a girl came in with the craziest look on her face, and she just started telling us she was listening to the radio and had heard that the planes had hit the buildings. Our teacher let us out of class, and I ended up going home and my dad was at the house already. We ended up going to eat an early lunch at kind of a burger joint in my hometown. And I remember just going in and everybody was just eating in silence. It was an awkward day. I’ll never forget it.”

ARLINGTON, Texas – Musical icon George Strait has announced the dates for the second leg of his final two-year tour – The Cowboy Rides Away Tour. In a press conference streamed live on georgestrait.comfrom AT&T Stadium, home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys, earlier today, Strait revealed the final 26 markets he will visit during the winter and spring legs of his 2014 tour. Additionally, Strait revealed he will have special guests on each tour weekend that will be matched with the corresponding tour date and market via a “tweet to unlock” campaign. Special guests will include Jason Aldean, Eric Church, Sheryl Crow, Ronnie Dunn, Vince Gill, Merle Haggard, Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town, Martina McBride, Lee Ann Womack, Chris Young, and more.

“The first leg of the tour earlier this year was very fun, but also very emotional,” said Strait. “Every city and venue holds such great memories. I’m really looking forward to seeing our fans out on the road in 2014.”

George Strait fan club members will have an opportunity to purchase tickets during a pre-sale period beginning at 10 a.m. in the venue’s respective time zone on Tuesday, September 24. Additionally, American Express® Cardmembers can purchase tickets before the general public. Tickets available to the general public will go on sale in select markets beginning Sept. 27 at 10:00 a.m. (time zone restraints apply) at www.georgestrait.com.

The Cowboy Rides Away Tour 2014 dates are as follows: 

January 9, 2014       CenturyLinkâ��Bossier City, La.

January 10, 2014     Frank Erwin Centerâ��Austin, Texas

January 17, 2014     CenturyLink Centerâ��Omaha, Neb.

January 18, 2014     Sprint Centerâ��Kansas City, Mo.

January 30, 2014     SAP Centerâ��San Jose, Calif.

January 31, 2014     Valley View Casino Centerâ��San Diego, Calif.

February 1, 2014     MGM Grand Arenaâ��Las Vegas, Nev.

February 7, 2014     US Airways Centerâ��Phoenix, Ariz.

February 8, 2014     Staples Centerâ��Los Angeles, Calif.

February 14, 2014   The Palace of Auburn Hills â��Auburn Hills, Mich.

February 15, 2014   Nationwide Arenaâ��Columbus, Ohio

February 28, 2014   Wells Fargo Arenaâ��Philadelphia, Pa.

March 1, 2014         Prudential Centerâ��Newark, N.J.

March 7, 2014         KFC Yum! Arenaâ��Louisville, Ky.

March 8, 2014         Allstate Arenaâ��Chicago, Ill.

March 21, 2014       Bridgestone Arenaâ��Nashville, Tenn.

March 22, 2014       Philips Arenaâ��Atlanta, Ga.

April 4, 2014            Intrust Bank Arenaâ�� Wichita, Kan.

April 5, 2014            Pepsi Centerâ��Denver, Colo.

April 11, 2014         The Moda Centerâ��Portland, Ore.

April 12, 2014         Tacoma Domeâ��Tacoma, Wash. 

April 18, 2014         Wells Fargo Arenaâ��Des Moines, Iowa

April 19, 2014         BOK Arenaâ��Tulsa, Okla.

May 23, 2014          LSU Tiger Stadium Bayou Country Superfest â��Baton Rouge,  La.

May 31, 2014          Gillette Stadium â�� Foxborough, Mass.

TBD                          AT&T Stadium â��Dallas, Texas

Strait, who recently renewed his record deal with MCA Records during a celebration at Nashville’s Schermerhorn Symphony Center, will continue to record new music and play select dates around the country following the completion of the tour. The Cowboy Rides Away Tour will offer fans a final opportunity to see Strait’s live show filled with hits from throughout his remarkable career, including many of his 60 No. 1 hits (more than any other artist in any genre). Additionally, Strait will receive Billboard’s Legend of Live Award in November in a ceremony in New York City. This is the magazine’s most coveted touring award, and he is the first country music artist to achieve this honor. 

For more information on George Strait and for tour updates, please visit www.GeorgeStrait.com or follow Strait on Facebook and Twitter @georgestrait.

George Strait (what he’ll miss touring) OC: …the traveling. :35
“I’m gonna miss the shows. I’m not gonna miss the traveling, but I’m gonna miss [the shows] a lot. I’ve been doing it so long. It’ll be interesting to see just how I handle that in 2015. We’ll see what happens, but I think I’m making the right choice. It’s the right decision. I’m pretty happy with my decision, knowing that I can still go out and do one-offs here and there. I’m just going to [do] five or six things a year out there if I want to. I know I’ll miss it. I know I’ll miss all of it…except for the traveling.”

George Strait (bittersweet) OC: …doing it. :35
“I am excited about the tour next year. It’s going to be a little bittersweet for me. It’s starting to sink in for me after the first leg of the tour. It’ll be a little tough next year saying goodbye to some of those places. My plan is to keep doing things here and there when I feel like it, and hopefully those opportunities will come for me. I can’t see hanging it up forever. As long as I keep enjoying it, I’m going to keep doing it.”

Dierks Bentley takes over the controls as he guest-hosts the syndicated radio show, After Midnite, this week. He’s joined by several special guests, including Charles Kelley from Lady Antebellum and singer-songwriter Chris Stapleton. Check out the behind-the-scenes look in the latest episode of DBTV below.

Keith Urban hits stores with his new album, Fuse, tomorrow (Tuesday), and it’s been a very creative process for him. The project started with Keith wanting to work with totally different people, mainly different producers and songwriters. In many cases, he pursued folks based on previous projects they worked on and which he really enjoyed. “I just wanted to start in a place that was being completely uncharted waters for me…I started seeking out guys who I liked what they did. In a lot of cases, I had never even met them before,” says Keith. “The whole journey started of trying to meet these people and get in the studio with them.”

The number of producers he worked with on Fuse increased exponentially during the process. While he did go into the studio with his longtime producer Dann Huff, he branched out of his comfort zone to work with a few different people, including Mike Elizondo (Eminem, Dr. Dre, Pink, Fiona Apple), Butch Walker (Fall Out Boy, Weezer), Jay Joyce (Eric Church, Little Big Town, The Wallflowers), Nathan Chapman (Taylor Swift, The Band Perry) and Stargate (Beyoncé, Rihanna, Ne-Yo). “I think what I liked about working with different people is the fact that everybody makes records differently,” says Keith. “I didn’t set out for there to be eight different producers on all these different songs. I was sort of searching for synergy and compatibility between some people, and I found it in a lot of people on certain songs. That’s how this sort of record became what it was. I thought I would find one or two guys out of the exploration, and we would go and make the whole album. I loved how everybody had a different take on different things, and it pulled out something different in me too.”

He’s set to begin hitting the airwaves this week with his new single, “We Were Us,” a duet with Miranda Lambert.

Don’t forget to catch Keith performing live on NBC’s Today Show on Tuesday (September 10th) and The View and Late Show With David Letterman on Wednesday.

Keith Urban (How Fuse started) OC: …with them. :24
“I just wanted to start in a place that was being completely uncharted waters for me. I sought out Michael Elizondo, and I started seeking out guys who I liked what they did. In a lot of cases, I had never even met them before. I had never met Butch Walker, but I had liked what he had done on the Fall Out Boy record. So, the whole journey started of trying to meet these people and get in the studio with them.”

Keith Urban (different producers) OC: …in me too. :53
“I think what I liked about working with different people is the fact that everybody makes records differently. Jay Joyce makes records very, very differently than the way Dann Huff does. Dann makes them different than Nathan Chapman. Stargate makes them in a different way. Everybody makes records very differently. What I was trying to do was find a song where the particular way of making records made sense for the particular song we were working on, and the way I wanted that song to sound. I didn’t set out for there to be eight different producers on all these different songs. I was sort of searching for synergy and compatibility between some people, and I found it in a lot of people on certain songs. That’s how this sort of record became what it was. I thought I would find one or two guys out of the exploration, and we would go and make the whole album. I loved how everybody had a different take on different things, and it pulled out something different in me too.”

Lady Antebellum share the stage with the legendary Stevie Nicks in the new installment of CMT’s Crossroads. The episode pairs the two acts in which they trade vocals on each other’s songs. Check out their performance of the Fleetwood Mac classic, “Rhiannon,” below.

Luke Bryan takes fans behind-the-scenes of the making of the four extra songs on his Crash My Party Target Deluxe Edition. Those songs include ‘What Is It With You,” “Your Mama Should’ve Named You Whiskey,” “Better Than My Heart” and “Sunburnt Lips.” Check it out!

Keith Urban is releasing the follow-up single to his recent two-week No. 1 single, “Little Bit of Everything.” He’s decided on “We Were Us,” a duet with Miranda Lambert, as his new single, which will be hitting radio later today (Monday). “She’s just the real deal. I just love her. I love her artistry. Her voice is awesome,” says Keith. “She would get up and play with us when we were touring with her, and I just felt like our voices went together really well.”

“We Were Us” is from Keith’s new album, Fuse, due in stores tomorrow (Tuesday).

George Strait is expected to announce cities and dates for the 2014 leg of the Cowboy Rides Away Tour during a press conference on Monday (September 9th) at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Strait began the Cowboy Rides Away Tour earlier this year.

Inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2006, Strait is scheduled to receive several additional honors in November, including Billboard‘s Legend of Live Award in New York City. He is the first country artist named to receive the magazine’s most coveted touring award. He’ll also be presented ASCAP’s Founders Award which honors songwriters and composers who have made pioneering contributions to music by inspiring and influencing their fellow music creators.

Monday’s press conference will be streamed live at Noon ET on Strait’s official website, georgestrait.com.

George Strait (set list) OC: …changing anyway. :33
“When you’re putting the song list together for a live show, it gets a little tough, because you don’t want to leave things out that you know people want to hear, but unfortunately, you don’t have time to do them all and it’s just one of those things. And so you just try to pick the best stuff that you can. And of course, I’ll cut one or two or three or so from a show for a year or two, and then it seems we always come back to them eventually and throw them back in the mix. It’s just a constant thing you’ve got to keep changing anyway.”

Easton Corbin will perform his current single, “All Over The Road,” on FOX News’ Fox & Friends on Monday (September 9th).

Lady Antebellum’s Dave Haywood and Charles Kelley are among the artists added to the lineup for the 7th Annual ACM Honors on Tuesday (September 10th). The event, being held at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, is an evening of musical tribute performances and award presentations celebrating the non-televised special honorees and winners from the 48th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards. Hosted by Dierks Bentley, the event will also feature appearances by Darius Rucker, David Nail, Vince Gill and Paul Franklin, Emmylou Harris, Steve Wariner and many more. The members of Lady Antebellum will be honored with the Jim Reeves International Award.

Scotty McCreery releases his new album, See You Tonight, on October 15th, and he’s offering several different pre-sale packages, including the Ultimate Package featuring an autographed guitar, digital copy, CD and T-shirt. For more information, go to his website, scottymccreery.com.