Nashville, TN – June 19, 2013 – On a short break from the Locked & Reloaded Tour, award-winning singer/songwriter Dierks Bentley is headlining some of the summer’s biggest festivals with a hit-packed show that has the capacity crowds on their feet from the first notes of “Am I the Only One” at the top through the final patriotic chants of the crowd with the emotional closing song “Home.”  With eight years of tireless touring under his belt, Bentley has hit a new stride that’s catching attention from coast to coast.

“From the initial response from the crowd, he wasn’t the only one who wanted to have a little fun. The Capitol recording artist continued to keep up the intensity throughout his performance, and with a long history at radio — including ten number ones — he was able to keep the hits coming.”  – Billboard   

 “…it’s hard to imagine many country stars topping Bentley, who soon made use of every inch of his big two-tier stage.” – The Oklahoman

“Talk about getting things started in a rip-roarin’ fashion…Dierks Bentley gave the space a big opening that will be hard to match.” – St. Louis Post-Dispatch

“Bluegrass, outlaw and honky-tonk music and lyrics were better represented on Saturday night than has been typical for recent country shows…” – The Roanoke Times

“Bentley took crowd participation to new levels, seemingly touching every hand in the pit, allowing a female crowd member to strap on and strum his guitar, and tossing another ax to an audience member to take home.” – The Reading Eagle

“His own energy level running flat out the whole time, Bentley used every square foot of the gigantic concert stage. Sometimes he’d start out singing at one end of it, and end up singing on a microphone at the other end, or up on risers at the back of the intricate stage set, or out at the end of the runway. He definitely gave the audience a show.” – Times Record News

Bentley kicked off summer with the release of “Bourbon In Kentucky,” the lead single off his upcoming seventh studio album RISER, due out later this fall, and he will pick back up in July on the Miranda Lambert and Dierks Bentley: Locked & Reloaded Tour through October.

Since moving to Nashville, Bentley has forged his own artistic path in an industry built predominantly on formula. He has mixed elements of modern country, classic country, bluegrass and rock, maintaining an unmistakable identity while constantly reinventing his sound. His album HOME debuted at No. 1 and spawned three consecutive chart-topping hits, marking 10 career No. 1 songs for Bentley as a singer and songwriter. His five previous studio albums have sold more than five million copies, garnered 11 GRAMMY nominations and earned him an invitation to join the Grand Ole Opry. For more information, visit www.dierks.com.

Kacey Musgraves, Lauren Alaina are among the artists included in Seventeen magazine’s The Hottest Country Singers!  Katie Armiger and Hunter Hayes are also on the list.

Little Big Town will appear on ABC’s The View on Wednesday (June 19th). The foursome will perform their current single “Your Side Of The Bed” and appear in the show’s “Ladies Who Lunch” segment, featuring food created by Kimberly Schlapman and seen on her GAC cooking show, Kimberly’s Simply Southern.

Darius Rucker will chat about his latest album, True Believers, his recent No. 1 song “Wagon Wheel,” golfing and his love of the Miami Dolphins when he stops by ESPN at 12:15p ET on Wednesday (June 19th). Send in your questions here.

Dierks Bentley‘s new single, “Bourbon in Kentucky,” has hit the airwaves AND it’s now available on iTunes. The song, which features Kacey Musgraves, is the first release from his forthcoming album, Riser.

Luke Bryan is closing in on the top spot on the country charts with his latest single, “Crash My Party. So, we asked him what is his favorite kind of party, and he said it’s the ones he throws just about every night. “My favorite kind of party is just being on stage, summertime at a big amphitheater, looking out there seeing people with their, just been out in the sun tailgating all day, and they come in to have a great time,” says Luke. “You know, just have some beer, some sunshine and some pretty country girls out there shaking it a little bit.”

His fans certainly enjoy his “parties,” as they voted him ACM Entertainer of the Year this past April.

“Crash My Party” is the first single from his forthcoming album, due in stores in August.

Luke Bryan (favorite kind of party) OC: …a little bit. :25
“My favorite kind of party is just being on stage, summertime at a big amphitheater, looking out there seeing people with their, just been out in the sun tailgating all day, and they come in to have a great time. You know, my Spring Break shows are the party of the year for me too, and we try turn all our shows into a kind of Spring Break feel, so that’s my deal. You know, just have some beer, some sunshine and some pretty country girls out there shaking it a little bit.”

Early Buzz From Other Artists and Critics Fueling Debut Solo Project

Stapleton Added to Miranda Lambert and Dierks Bentley: Locked & Reloaded Tour

Nashville, TN – June 17, 2013 – The wait is over for fans of Grammy nominated vocalist and hit songwriter Chris Stapleton as he steps out of the pages of other artist’s liner notes and into the spotlight with the release of his debut country single for Mercury Nashville, “What Are You Listening To?”  The song shipped to radio today with an official add date of 7/1 and is available for purchase across all digital platforms on 7/2. 

“When Mercury approached me about making a record for them, I was really flattered and humbled, but it also made me do some real soul searching about the kind of record I would want to make,” said Stapleton.  “I’m really happy with the songs we’ve written and how the album is coming together, and I’m excited to finally release the lead single and for what 2013 has in store.  My biggest wish is that people hear these songs and they are moved in some way…that they are reminded of someone they love or someone they lost or even of themselves.” 

With over 170 album cuts as a songwriter and one of the most sought after session players and singers in Nashville, artists and critics are already showering praise on Stapleton even prior to single release.  

“Without a shadow of a doubt, Chris Stapleton has one of the greatest voices on planet earth.”  Luke Bryan

“There’s nobody on country radio with a voice as powerful and soulful as Chris Stapleton’s.”  Dierks Bentley

“His voice is just incredible…it’s like caramel.”  Adele

Additionally, Music Row’s Robert Oermann describes the debut single as “sublimely soulful” and dubbed Stapleton “the Next Great Vocalist in country music…his powerful singing has always deserved its own spotlight.” 

Press can preview “What Are You Listening To?” and get to know Stapleton in the video at www.ChrisStapleton.com

In the past week, Stapleton played his first-ever solo shows at Bonnaroo and CMA Music Festival.  He has also just been invited to join Miranda Lambert and Dierks Bentley during the Fall leg of the Locked and Reloaded Tour, starting Oct. 10 in Lincoln, NE with more shows to be announced soon.  

A native of the small town of Staffordsville, KY (pop: 2400) and son of a coal miner, Stapleton made the move to Nashville in 2001 to learn the craft of songwriting and pursue a career in music.  A decade later, he has scored four No. one country hits with songs penned for George Strait, Kenny Chesney, Darius Rucker and Josh Turner, and has racked up over 170 album cuts for artists including Tim McGraw, Brad Paisley and Alan Jackson.  Stapleton has already had a diverse singing career that includes stints as lead vocalist for GRAMMY-nominated bluegrass band The SteelDrivers and lead vocalist in the howling rock and roll band The Jompson Brothers. 

For updated tour dates and more information please visit www.ChrisStapleton.com

NASHVILLE, TN (Monday, June 17, 2013) – Singer/Songwriter Kacey Musgraves fulfilled a lifelong dream of performing at Bonnaroo yesterday to rave reviews from both fans and critics alike.

Musgraves, one of the only country acts on this year’s bill, played a 60-minute set on the Which Stage that included tracks from her critically acclaimed album, Same Trailer Different Park (“Merry Go Round/“Follow Your Arrow”/“Blowin’ Smoke”) and also featured covers of Bob Marley’s “Three Little Birds” and Weezer’s “Island In The Sun.”

Of Sunday’s performance Billboard described the packed crowd as “enthralled,” the set as “stellar,” and stated “…Musgraves won’t be playing the noon slot at a festival like Bonnaroo much longer.”

The Tennessean said, “Aside from genre vet Dwight Yoakam, Musgraves was the lone mainstream country star on this year’s bill, and one that could uniquely speak the Bonnaroo audience’s language.” They continued with, “…what really sets Musgraves apart – and likely made no shortage of new fans – is her own outspoken material, as heard on her hailed major-label debut “Same Trailer Different Park.”

Musgraves, current single “Blowin’ Smoke” is climbing the charts at country radio and the video has been viewed over 600,000 times to date. 

She is currently on the road with Kenny Chesney’s No Shoes Nation stadium tour.

Nashville, TN – June 17, 2013 – Award-winning singer/songwriter Dierks Bentley will live chat with fans tonight from the set of the “Bourbon in Kentucky” music video shoot in Nashville, TN.  Fans can join the chat beginning at 7:00P ET by visiting dierks.com/stream to stream, ask questions and go behind the scenes on the set as Bentley preps for the overnight shoot.   The lead single that’s garnering early acclaim for Bentley’s breakthrough vocal performance is also now available across all digital platforms.

“Bourbon In Kentucky” is the lead single off Bentley’s upcoming seventh studio album RISER, due this fall. It explores the dark internal emotions of loss and disconnection told through an intense vocal performance by Bentley.  People has already claimed the song one of it’s “Hot Picks” and awarded it handsomely with 3 out of 4 stars.

Since moving to Nashville, Bentley has forged his own artistic path in an industry built predominantly on formula. He has mixed elements of modern country, classic country, bluegrass and rock, maintaining an unmistakable identity while constantly reinventing his sound. His album HOME debuted at No. 1 and spawned three consecutive chart-topping hits, marking 10 career No. 1 songs for Bentley as a singer and songwriter. His five previous studio albums have sold more than five million copies, garnered 11 GRAMMY nominations and earned him an invitation to join the Grand Ole Opry. Bentley will pick back up in July on the Miranda Lambert and Dierks Bentley: Locked & Reloaded Tour through October. For more information on the live stream and for a full list of tour dates, visit www.dierks.com.

Newcomer Drake White hit the road on Toby Keith’s Hammer Down Tour over the weekend, and he says he was blown away by the reaction of the fans who came early to see him play. “It’s really touching to me when folks come up and are touched by the music, so my reaction [to the crowd] is just ecstatic,” says Drake. “I love doing it. I love doing what I’m supposed to do, and you can feel it, you know? Just crazy, just surreal, ecstatic reaction to fans that even come and listen to my music.”

One song the fans are definitely listening to is Drake’s single, “The Simple Life,” which is making its way up the country charts!

Drake White (Toby Keith Tour) OC: …my music. :18
“It’s really touching to me when folks come up and are touched by the music, so my reaction [to the crowd] is just ecstatic. I love doing it. I love doing what I’m supposed to do, and you can feel it, you know? Just crazy, just surreal, ecstatic reaction to fans that even come and listen to my music.”

Kip Moore is set to perform as part of the CMA Songwriters Series in Boston with tunesmiths Brett James and Bob DiPiero July 11th at the Royale Boston Nightclub. Miranda Lambert is also scheduled to perform.

Little Big Town picked up their first Daytime Emmy for “Outstanding Original Song” for “Good Afternoon,” which they co-wrote (with The Warren Brothers) and recorded for ABC’s Good Afternoon America. Another country star, Trisha Yearwood, also picked up an Emmy for her TV show, Trisha’s Southern Kitchen.

Dierks Bentley will perform at New York’s Irving Plaza on August 1^st as part of Bud Light’s 50/50/1 – a national event showcasing performances by 50 artists in each of the 50 states in just one day.

TV ALERT: Darius Rucker will perform tonight (Monday) on ABC’s The Bachelorette. He is set to play “True Believers” and “Lost in You” from his new album, True Believers. Check it out beginning at 8pm ET on ABC.

Dierks Bentley is climbing the country charts with his new single, “Bourbon in Kentucky,” which features Kacey Musgraves. Dierks was thrilled to have the “Blowin’ Smoke” singer on the song, in main part because she’s really got her own thing happening. “Usually you go out there and try to get your foot in the door, and then once you kind of got some wiggle room, really start defining who you are as an artist and going for some different things and some risky things. Her whole thing is to go big early; go big first! Go for it, and maybe it’ll help solidify a really hard-core following of fans that are looking for people that are going for things, trying stuff and not afraid to be who they are,” says Dierks. “I’ve got a lot of respect for that, and the fact that she would want to be a part of this song and lend her voice and her personality and who she is to this track, ‘Bourbon in Kentucky.’ It really means a lot to me.”

“Bourbon in Kentucky” is the first single from his forthcoming album, Riser, which is due in stores this fall.

AUDIO: Dierks Bentley talks about Kacey Musgraves, who appears on his new single, “Bourbon in Kentucky.”

Dierks Bentley (Kacey on Bourbon) OC: …a lot to me. 1:04
“She’s really cool. She’s got a great thing going on. Usually you go out there and try to get your foot in the door, and then once you kind of got some wiggle room, really start defining who you are as an artist and going for some different things and some risky things. Her whole thing is to go big early; go big first! Go for it, and maybe it’ll help solidify a really hard-core following of fans that are looking for people that are going for things, trying stuff and not afraid to be who they are. It’s really risky to be who you are from the beginning. Back…Vince Gill is one of my favorite singers of all time, but Vince had five albums that he put out before he really had any success. Nowadays, you get like one single, and if it doesn’t work, then it’s on the next thing. This town’s never been tougher than it is right now. So, for someone like Kacey to be out there going, ‘I know that. I know I might not get another chance and maybe I should play it, because it is such a tough town, but I’m going with what I’m going with.’ I’ve got a lot of respect for that, and the fact that she would want to be a part of this song and lend her voice and her personality and who she is to this track, ‘Bourbon in Kentucky.’ It really means a lot to me.”