NASHVILLE, TN (Wednesday, May 1, 2013) –Country super-group Little Big Town was recently announced as a nominee for a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Song –“GOOD AFTERNOON” for Good Afternoon America on ABC.

“GOOD AFTERNOON” was co-written by Little Big Town, Brett Warren and Brad Warren and was produced by Jay Joyce and recorded in Nashville, TN last summer.

“What an unexpected honor to be nominated for an Emmy,” exclaimed Jimi Westbrook. “This is something we never could have dreamed up as a band and we are beyond thrilled to say the least!”

The exciting announcement comes fresh off of the heels of a sold-out show at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, TN. The foursome played a rousing 90-minute set with multiple standing ovations and a set list that covered everything from current single ”Your Side of the Bed,” their #1 hits “Pontoon” and “Tornado” and country versions of Justin Timberlake’s “Suit & Tie” and Fleetwood Mac’s “The Chain.”

“Your Side of the Bed,” from their nearly platinum album Tornado, is currently making its way up the country charts.

Eric Paslay has been announced as one of the performers at this year’s CMA Music Festival Riverfront Stages. Check out his performance of the lineup for the shows, which will take place June 6th-9th in downtown Nashville!

Nashville, Tenn. (May 1, 2013) – George Jones’ funeral will take place on Thursday, May 2nd at The Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, Tennessee, starting at 10 am (Central) and will be open to the public.  Doors will open at 9 am.
 
In addition, national television networks CMT, GAC, RFD, and FamilyNet, as well as local Nashville stations WKRN 2, WSMV 4, WTVF 5, WZTV 17 will broadcast the funeral service “LIVE”, with radio partners WSM 650AM and SiriusXM Willie’s Roadhouse (Ch. 56) broadcasting the service.  Fans around the world can listen online at wsmonline.com or watch online at opry.com.
 
“The caliber of speakers and performers is a testament to what George Jones meant to everyone in the world,” says publicist Kirt Webster. “Nancy is overwhelmed by the love and support of not only George’s fans, but also the music community, public figures and friends.”

The service will include music from Charlie Daniels, Vince Gill w/ Patty Loveless, Alan Jackson, Ronnie Milsap, Kid Rock, The Oak Ridge Boys, Brad Paisley, Randy Travis, Travis Tritt, Tanya Tucker, and Wynonna.  Former First Lady Laura Bush, Kenny Chesney, Grand Ole Opry VP&GM Pete Fisher, Governor Bill Haslam, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, Barbara Mandrell, and CBS News’ Chief Washington Correspondent Bob Schieffer will all make special remarks.

Fans not able to attend can leave a special message about George Jones at: http://tinyurl.com/GJtribute

Nashville, TN (April 30, 2013) –  Mercury Records recording artist Billy Currington’s new single “Hey Girl” is Top 30 and climbing the Country radio charts.  The flirty and carefree song is the first single from Currington’s upcoming studio album to be released later this summer.

“Hey Girl” was written by Rhett Akins, Ashley Gorley and Chris DeStefano and produced by Dann Huff.  The single is currently available for digital purchase here.  

“When I first heard ‘Hey Girl’ it took me back to chasing young love and the sweet summertime,” explains Currington. 

Currington is a Grammy  nominated and Platinum selling artist who has celebrated seven # 1 career singles including “Don’t,” “Good Directions,” “Let Me Down Easy,” “Must Be Doin’ Something Right,” “People Are Crazy,” “Pretty Good At Drinkin’ Beer” and “That’s How Country Boys Roll.”  His upcoming studio album was produced by Carson Chamberlain, Dann Huff and Shy Carter.

Nashville, TN – April 29, 2013 – Seven-time GRAMMY winning trio Lady Antebellum will light up national TV over the next two weeks with performances spotlighting tracks from their upcoming fourth studio album GOLDEN out May 7th.

Release day will begin with appearances on Good Morning America and The Ellen DeGeneres Show and end with an exclusive and intimate release show at New York City’s newest hot spot The McKittrick Hotel for the Lady Antebellum GOLDEN Release Show presented by Citi.  The VIP event will give a select number of fans the first preview of songs off the new album and a donation will be made to Musicians On Call on behalf of the group’s charity initiative LadyAID™. The next day, Lady A will begin their take-over on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and set up residency at 30 Rock with interviews and performances on both Wednesday (5/8) and Thursday (5/9) nights’ shows. The following week, Lady A will jet to the West Coast for an appearance on Chelsea Lately (5/13) and a performance on NBC’s The Voice (5/14) before continuing on to Toronto for more media appearances and events. 

Fans will find the new album familiar but simultaneously unlike any of its predecessors. It focuses on songwriting and fresh uses of their talents, which was at the heart of what drew Lady A together in the first place. In the end, the mix of their road experiences, songwriting and challenging outside songs adds a brightness to the album that’s reflected in the GOLDEN title. GOLDEN’s playful lead single “Downtown” set the pace ahead of its release, quickly becoming the trio’s fastest charting No. one single, holding at No. one for two weeks and earning GOLD certification by the RIAA.  

Since its 2006 inception, Lady A had risen quickly to become Country Music’s most influential current group. The group won the “Vocal Group of the Year” honor from both the CMA and from the ACM’s three times in a row and sold 11 million albums worldwide. Nine of the band’s singles went Gold, with four surpassing the Platinum mark. “Need You Now” went on to sell over seven million downloads and claimed five of the trio’s seven career GRAMMY wins, including the all-genre “Record of the Year” and “Song of the Year.” 

For more information on the new album and upcoming appearances, visit www.ladyantebellum.com. 

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AUDIO: Lady Antebellum’s Hillary Scott says the band didn’t feel a lot of pressure on their new album, Golden, so they were able to take a few more risks.

Lady A (taking a risk on Golden) OC: …more risks. 1:00
HILLARY: “We’ll be really honest and say that on our last record we felt the pressure. You know, we had just had the success of Need You Now, that whole album, that song in particular, and we started recording the third record, went to the Grammys, had that amazing life-changing night, and then went back into the studio to finish it up. And as much as we tried for the pressure to not get to us, I think it definitely did, and with having an album removed from that and knowing that we, you know, we wanted to continue to grow. Everybody says the word evolve, but it’s true. We were all in different places we had more to say, and truthfully, we felt like we were writing songs because we love writing songs, not trying to chase a hit, you know. So, not only did we write songs that we were really excited about, that told a story, that we were really proud of, but we got pitched songs that were great too. And so, I think we just really relaxed into the process, and in that relaxation, it almost gave us more confidence to take some more risks.”

Randy Rogers Band’s new album – their sixth studio collection and eighth overall — arrives in stores on Tuesday (April 30th). The collection was produced by Jay Joyce (Wallflowers, Eric Church, Little Big Town), and it was the band’s first time working with the famed producer, which the band feels helped them get through a difficult time.

During the time they spent working on their new album Trouble, the band and its extended family suffered a number of tragic events including the untimely death of bassist Jon Richardson’s brother. “During this recording process [and] writing process for this record, all of us I think, kind of went through trying times in our life,” says lead singer Randy Rogers. “For me playing the guitar has always calmed me down; writing songs always helps me through a difficult situation. So, definitely there’s some songs that I wrote for this record that were kind of like therapy for me. And then I know that when we got into the studio and we were all excited to be working with Jay Joyce and excited about recording our eighth record, it really pulled us all together, and I think it was a healing for us for some of the things that we had been through during the making of this record.”

The band just released their latest single, “Fuzzy,” which is from their new album, Trouble.

AUDIO: Randy Rogers says working on the band’s new album, Trouble, helped them through a rough time in their lives.

RRB (trying times) OC: …hole, I guess. :41
“During this recording process, writing process for this record, all of us, I think, kind of went through trying times in our life. And for me playing the guitar has always calmed me down. Writing songs always helps me through a difficult situation. So definitely there’s some songs that I wrote for this record that were kind of like therapy for me. And then I know that when we got into the studio and we were all excited to be working with Jay Joyce and excited about recording our eighth record, it really pulled us all together and I think it was a healing for us for some of the things that we had been through during the making of this record. So it pulled us out of a hole I guess.”

Lady Antebellum performed a concert at the “Happiest Place on Earth” — Disneyland — over the weekend. The Grammy-winning trio will release their fourth studio album, Golden, on May 7th, and they performed an exclusive show to celebrate. Check out their performance here.

**UPDATED

The country music industry is devastated today at the news that the legendary George Jones has passed away this morning at the age of 81. He was hospitalized April 18th at Nashville’s Vanderbilt Hospital with an irregular heartbeat and a fever.

Among the many artists scheduled to appear at George Jones’ final show at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium this fall were Alan Jackson and Dierks Bentley. No word on what will happen, but we’ll keep you informed.

Man of our artists feel the loss, and we’ll keep updating with comments, quotes, soundbites and more throughout the weekend.

Keith Urban tweeted, “If I’m blessed enough to make it there, I look forward to you giving me the grand tour. Rest in peace George Jones!!!!!”

Alan Jackson said about his friend, George Jones:
“Well, heaven better get ready for some great country music. While George was known for his wild and crazy days, I’ve known him for 25 years as a friend. He had grown into a real good man. Of course, he’ll always be the greatest singer and interpreter of real country music – there’ll never be another. Like the song says, ‘You know this old world is full of singers, but just a few are chosen to tear your heart out when they sing. Imagine life without them…Who’s gonna fill their shoes.’”

Dierks Bentley, who is still a member of George Jones’ fan club, said he’s “heartbroken,” and tweeted, “nancy and @gjpossum had a beautiful marriage and special relationship. love you nancy. long live the possum. gonna miss my buddy. real sad.”

Vince Gill tweeted, “There aren’t words in our language to describe the depth of his greatness. I’ll miss my kind and generous friend.”

Little Big Town said, “There will never be another George Jones. You are and always will be country music. Rest in peace. #GeorgeJones“

“I am shocked and saddened by George Jones’ passing. He was a top-notch
country vocalist and taught me so much about what the voice can really
do if you let it. He was a good man, he was passionate about country
music, and made me want to be a better artist every time I listened to
one of his records. Heaven got a little countrier today. We’ll miss you
George!,” said Josh Turner.

Sugarland‘s Jennifer Nettles commented, “I’ll never forget the first time I heard the story in ‘He Stopped Loving Her Today. RIP George Jones. Country Legend. U will be missed.”

Kacey Musgraves tweeted, “That angel choir just got a whole lot better this morning. #RIP #GeorgeJones“

Eric Paslay said, “Thoughts and prayers to George Jones’ family. A true country legend. We’ll never stop loving you George!”

Easton Corbin tweeted, “What a sad day for country music. George Jones was one of my heroes.”

Lady Antebellum‘s Hillary Scott took to Twitter to express her sadness at the passing of George Jones. “@HillaryScottLA: Saddened by the passing of George Jones Sending prayers up for his wife and family Country Music will never be the same.”

Luke Bryan tweeted, “George. You will be deeply missed. Thanks for the beautiful memories.”

AJ (George Jones) OC: …respectful to me. :14
“I’ve met a lot of people, you know, artists, writers and music industry people, but that I never would’ve gotten close to or had the opportunity [to know]. George Jones, he’s always been real nice and respectful to me.”

Luke Bryan (on George Jones) OC: …be missed. 1:06

Luke Bryan had a special guest with him on his Dirt Road Diaries Tour recently. Singer-songwriter David Lee Murphy was out on the road writing with Luke, who asked the hitmaker if he’d get up on stage to perform his huge hit, “Dust on the Bottle,” for the crowd. Check out the latest episode of LBTV below.

Lady Antebellum is getting ready to release their fourth album, Golden, on May 7th. You can pre-order GOLDEN on iTunes now: http://smarturl.it/itunesGOLDEN

Check out the band’s latest Webisode Wednesday, where Charles, Hillary and Dave chat about some of the songs on the album.