Want to “sing a little chill song and get your groove on,” but need the words so that you can perfect it? Keith Urban is ready to help you out! Check out the lyric video for his new single, “Little Bit of Everything” (click here), and you’ll be all set to crank it up and sing along to every word! Trust us – this’ll come in handy this Memorial Day Weekend when the song comes on the radio while you’re cruising down the road with the windows down enjoying the unofficial start of the summer! And it’ll get you primed to sing along at the top of your lungs when Keith comes to a city near you on his Light The Fuse Tour, which kicks off July 17 in Cincinnati (and rolls through more than 40 additional cities before year’s end)!

The members of Little Big Town can’t wait to hit the road with their buddy Keith Urban on his Light the Fuse Tour this summer. Karen Fairchild says it’s been a few years since they shared the bill with him on some shows, but one thing she and the rest of the group are looking forward to is the backstage catering at each stop – apparently, Keith takes good “culinary care” of everyone on the road. As Kimberly Schlapman puts it, “We’re going to get fedwell!” Keith’s Light the Fuse Tour – featuring Little Big Town and Dustin Lynch – kicks off July 18 in Cincinnati, Ohio; more than 40 stops are scheduled before the end of the year.

• Karen, Kimberly, Jimi and Philip have another important stop to make before embarking on their summer tour schedule – Thursday morning (5/23), they’re in New York to perform “Your Side of the Bed” on ABC’s Good Morning America. Watch for them (and a special CMA Music Festival announcement) in the 8:30-9:00am segment!
• “Your Side of the Bed” is Little Big Town’s third hit from Tornado. It follows the chart-topping title track and “Pontoon.”

The members of Little Big Town talk about hitting the road this summer with Keith Urban. (:25)

Karen Fairchild: “Oh, we’re so looking forward to that tour! (Others agree in the background) And the catering’s going to be phenomenal.” (All laugh)

Kimberly Schlapman: “We’re going to get fed well!”

Karen: “Keith – we haven’t been with Keith…probably [the] last time we toured with Keith was a few years ago, and it was just for a few shows. And so, you know, we’re anxious to get back on the road with him. And with Dustin [Lynch].”

Jimi: “Yeah.”

Karen: “We’re super happy for him…crankin’ out the hits.” (Jimi laughs)

 Easton Corbin slides into the top 20 of both airplay charts this week with his hit “All Over The Road.” Have you seen the music video for “All Over the Road” yet? If not, check it out – the clip finds Easton behind the wheel of a vintage Plymouth Fury, and he’s “all over the road” while driving – but with good reason! “It’s got cops…it’s got a car chase…hot girl…money…guns,” he explains. What Easton didn’t mention is that the gun is used to take him hostage…the cops are after him…and the girl is – well, let’s just say Easton is one very “distracted driver.” “I did have fun,” he says with a smile.

• “All Over the Road” is the latest hit and title track from Easton’s current album.

Easton Corbin had a good time making the music video for his latest hit, “All Over the Road”…largely because of the storyline. (:25)
“I did have fun making the ‘All Over the Road’ video. It was…it was definitely different from what this song, probably the stereotypical video you would think, you know, which would be, you know, riding down the road in a truck with a girl. And I think that’s what we went for is something to be a little bit different. And it’s totally unexpected! It’s got cops…it’s got a car chase…hot girl…money…guns, I mean…it’s fun!”

Dierks Bentley is readying a new album for release…and he’s about to give fans their first taste of what’s to come when his new single hits the airwaves next week. The song is “Bourbon in Kentucky,” and the album is called Riser. “There’s certainly a new sound to the album,” Dierks hints, adding, “With all my records, I’m always searching for ‘new’.” Fans needn’t worry that he’s making some sort of drastic departure from the kind of music they know and love, though. “The lonesome stuff is on there. And I’d say ‘Bourbon in Kentucky’ is an example of that,” Dierks explains. He’s also quick to reassure that several songs are “made for consuming cold beer.” And then there’s what Dierks calls the “third layer” of the album, offering fans a personal glimpse of “where I am in my life as a dude, as a man, as a husband [and] father…” and as a man who, since recording his last album, has lost his father. “That’s all kind of tied into it.”

• Riser is planned for release before year’s end. Be listening for “Bourbon in Kentucky” on your favorite radio station starting next Tuesday (5/28)!

Dierks Bentley talks about his forthcoming album, Riser. (:20)

“Actually, there’s certainly a new sound to the album. But I think ‘new’ is what is exciting about country music, you know? ‘New’ is what got me into country music. Hearing Hank Junior sing when I was 17-years-old was totally new to me. It might’ve been old to somebody else, but for me that was a brand new sound, and it just was…exciting. So, I think with all my records, I’m always searching for ‘new’.”

Dierks Bentley offers fans a taste of what they’ll hear on his new album, Riser. (:31)

“There are songs on the record that, you know, kind of correlate back to certain themes I’ve had in the past. Certainly the lonesome stuff is on there. And I’d say ‘Bourbon in Kentucky’ is an example of that. And then [there’s] some stuff that’s made for, uh…consuming cold beer. Then there’s kind of a third layer to the album which would be to show kind of where I am in my life as a, you know, as a dude, as a man, as a…as a husband, father…the guy – you know my dad passed away, so that’s all kind of tied into it. Just kind of a look at the world around me and making observations on that.”

GEORGE STRAIT: The King Crowns the Top of the Chart!

In August 1982, Ronald Reagan was President…Pete Rose was still playing baseball…the first edition of USA Today was still a few weeks away from being published…Cheers was a month away from premiering on NBC…and George Strait reached the top of the country chart for the first time in his career with his fourth chart single, “Fool Hearted Memory.” 30 years and nine months later, George finds himself at the top of the heap again this week as “Give It All You Got Tonight” climbs to #1 on the Mediabase chart.  “I still feel like it’s quite an accomplishment,” he admits, noting that while his name may be next to the song title on the chart, the credit for reaching the pinnacle is shared by many. “It’s pretty much of a group effort and, so, I still get very excited to have one.” (AUDIO 1)

“Give It All You Got Tonight” is the first single from George’s new album, Love Is Everything, released last week. While noting the song is “a little different for me,” he finds it very easy to relate to the lyrics and the story. “It’s kind of about parking, which I’ve done a few times,” he says with a hearty laugh. (AUDIO 2)

George Strait admits it still feels good – even after 60 trips to the top – to reach #1 on the charts. (:35)

“It’s not like it was then when I hadn’t ever had one, but still…I still feel like it’s quite an accomplishment – not only for me, but for everybody involved because there’s a lot of other people involved in these things, too. You know, you’ve got your people around you that work with you that support you…and your record company and the people that work there and work hard trying to get these records out and so…it’s pretty much of a group effort and, so, I still get very excited to have one.”

George Strait talks about his #1 song, “Give It All You Got Tonight.” (:27)

“The first time I heard it, I thought, ‘Hmm…that’s a great song. A little different for me, you know? A little risqué kinda, you know?’ I’m thinking, ‘I don’t know if I can pull this off or not.’ But I just love it. I mean, it’s…like I said, it’s a little different. The melody’s a little different. Great lyrics. It’s kind of about parking, you know? (laughs) Which I’ve done a few times, you know, back in the early days (laughs).”

School is letting out for a few months; dads are firing up the bar-be-cues; pools, lakes and beaches will be packed with families celebrating warm days together. It’s the unofficial kick-off to summer…and it’s Memorial Day Weekend.

Memorial Day, originally known as Decoration Day, originated after the American Civil War to commemorate the fallen Union soldiers of the Civil War. However, by the turn of the 20th century, Memorial Day celebrated Americans who have sacrificed their lives in all wars. The holiday also typically marks the start of the summer vacation season.

Some of your favorite country artists talk about their favorite summertime activities – besides traveling around and performing for fans – as well as what it means to be free because of the brave men and women willing to fight and sacrifice for our freedom.

AUDIO: Dierks Bentley, whose own father was a World War II veteran, talks about the sacrifices made by U.S. servicemen and women.

Dierks (Memorial Day) OC: …upon them. :37
“On the most basic level, I think, for me on the road, I just think about being gone two, three days at a time, maybe a couple of weeks at a time, you know. That seems like a long time when you have kids and family, but these soldiers, they’re gone for months and years at a time – they’re doing 12 to 15 to 18 months — and they have family back home. That, in itself, is such a huge sacrifice, and that’s just the beginning of it. That’s just scratching the surface of what these guys [and gals] are doing every day – preparing for battle, actually being in battle, being wounded in battle, sometimes dying in battle. So, this country obviously, we would not exist without those courageous men and women, and our future depends upon them.”

Eric Church (Memorial Day) OC: …those freedoms.
“It’s about, especially the soldiers I come in contact with on the road, and not only that, to be able to make the music that I’m able to make, to say what I want to say, and that freedom to be able to do those things and to be in a country where we’re able to do that and to be in a country where we’re able to play that stuff on the radio. I don’t think you’re going to have any American argue that America isn’t the best place to live, and I’m certainly one of them. I’m very proud to be from here and very proud that we have the soldiers. I know there are a lot of other countries out there in the world that don’t want to live the way we do, and that’s fine, they can keep living the way they are, but I’m very proud of it. I think that’s a time to celebrate being proud to be an American and celebrate those freedoms…and celebrate the people that are over fighting for those freedoms.”

AUDIO: Josh Turner talks about his boat, which will most likely be on the water when he’s not on the road this summer.

Josh Turner (Summer) OC: …just ride. :12
“I have a nice boat that I got a couple of years ago. I have it set up for saltwater and fresh water. I’m not much of a water skier, my legs are too skinny for that, but I just try to tube and have fun and just ride.”

AUDIO: Keith Urban wrote and recorded last year’s hit, “For You,” for the film, Act of Valor, which was inspired by real life events and stars a group of active-duty Navy SEALs. After hanging out with the SEALS, he was very impressed with their commitment of service.

Keith Urban (SEALS mantra) OC: …conviction. :30
“They have a mantra, and they say ‘the only easy day was yesterday’ and they had this spirit of brotherhood and that’s a particular thing that’s the way in which, I think, it exists is very specific to the Seals. I mean, military in general have this very strong brotherhood code; it’s a particular kind of thing in the Seals. As was the testament, to Lt. Roark who is the lead guy in the film; when he was interviewed and talked about funerals he had been to, and he says ‘There isn’t really any one of us who isn’t just a little bit jealous of the guy who’s died,’ and ok, I heard that, that’s a particular way of being that I cannot relate to. That is an unbelievable depth of commitment and conviction.”

AUDIO: Kelleigh Bannen says she’s very thankful for our men and women in uniform.

Kelleigh Bannen (Memorial Day) OC: …our families. :10
“I am so thankful for our men and women in uniform, and it is their sacrifice and them putting their lives on the line that allow us to be able to celebrate with our families.”

AUDIO: Little Big Town’s Karen Fairchild says they’re overwhelmed by the huge sacrifices that both the military and their families make in order to be free.

LBT (Memorial Day) OC: …whenever we can. :44
KAREN: “It’s such a huge sacrifice what these men and women do for us, not only the ones that are serving, but the families that are left here at home. Kimberly and I met a young girl…she’s 21 years old, and she has a third baby, and her husband has served multiple times overseas. She’s raising these children at home and doing a great job and the best that she can, and he’s serving our country. He’s making a monstrous sacrifice, but so is she, and so are those children. And we just can’t take it for granted. I mean, it’s just a huge commitment that they make, and what an honor. We love to be able to sing for them and entertain them and to say thank you whenever we can.”

AUDIO: While Luke Bryan’s on the road with his Dirt Road Diaries Tour this summer, he’s going to check out some places where he can catch up on his favorite summer pastime – fly-fishing.

Luke Bryan (favorite summer activities) OC: …the family. :10
“My favorite summer activity is definitely the opportunity to go fly-fishing out West when I’m out there touring, or really, just fly-fishing anytime…and obviously, getting a week off down at the beach with the family.”

LINER Billy Currington (Memorial Day)
“Hey guys, I’m Billy Currington. I just wanted to say thank you to all our servicemen and women and their daily service to our country.”

LINER Easton Corbin (Memorial Day)
“Hey everybody! It’s Easton Corbin here, wishing you a happy and safe Memorial Day, and I also want to send a special thanks out to our men and women in our Armed Forces.”

LINER Eric Church (Memorial Day Weekend)
“Hey everyone, this is Eric Church, hoping you have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend.”

LINER Eric Paslay (Memorial Day Weekend)
“Hey! This is Eric Paslay, hope you have a wonderful and safe Memorial Day Weekend.”

LINER Jon Pardi (Memorial Day Weekend)
“Hi! It’s Jon Pardi, hoping you have a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend.”

LINER: Josh Turner (Memorial Day)
“This is Josh Turner, wishing you a safe and Happy Memorial Day holiday.”

LINER Keith Urban (Memorial Day Weekend)
“Hi Everyone, this is Keith Urban. Please take time to remember all those who sacrificed their lives during this Memorial Day Weekend.”

LINER Lauren Alaina (Memorial Day)
“Hey! This is Lauren Alaina, wishing you a Happy Memorial Day Weekend.”

LINER LBT (Memorial Day)
“Hi! This is Little Big Town. Take time to remember our fallen heroes during this Memorial Day Weekend.”

LINER Luke Bryan (Memorial Day)
“Hey! It’s Luke Bryan, hoping you have a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend.”

LINER Sugarland (Memorial Day)
“Hey! We’re Sugarland, and we just wanted to say thank you to all our servicemen and women and their daily service to our country.”