Luke Bryan and the gang head down to Panama City Beach, Florida for spring break. Record breaking attendance, new music and special guests, including Florida Georgia Line…. check it out in the latest episode of LBTV!

ENCINO, CA (March 20, 2013) – The Academy of Country Music and dick clark productions announced today that George Strait and Garth Brooks, the two most recent ACM Artist of the Decade Award recipients, will perform together for the first time in history to pay tribute to Dick Clark at the 48^th ANNUAL ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS, to be broadcast live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas Sunday, April 7 (8:00 PM-11:00 PM, live ET/delayed PT) on the CBS Television Network. The ACM Artist of the Decade Award will be renamed the ACM Dick Clark Artist of the Decade Award, in honor of the iconic figure and longtime producer of the ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS. The ceremony, to be co-hosted by Luke Bryan and Blake Shelton, honors country music’s top talent, as well as the industry’s hottest emerging artists. 

Dick Clark, who passed away last year, began producing the Academy of Country Music Awards in 1979 and helped introduce audiences all over America to the most talented artists in country music. Clark had long been an ambassador for a wide-range of musical genres and with his guidance, ushered the Academy of Country Music Awards through the decades to become one of the industry’s biggest events.

“It is truly appropriate that we pay tribute to my father, longtime ACM Awards executive producer Dick Clark. As one of the current executive producers and Dick’s son, I’m honored that George and Garth graciously accepted my personal request to pay tribute to a man we all loved,” stated R.A. Clark.

“He was a friend to all of us and helped shape our organization.  There’s no doubt the Academy of Country Music wouldn’t be one of the highest-rated and watched awards shows without Dick’s vision and commitment,” commented Bob Romeo, CEO of the Academy of Country Music.

“Dick helped make country music accessible to a larger fan base and his efforts will not be forgotten. Garth and I were so grateful when we each received the ACM Artist of the Decade Award, so it’s only fitting that we’ll be honoring him with this tribute performance at the ACMs,” said George Strait. 

“I commend the Academy on naming the ACM Artist of the Decade Award after Dick Clark.  Although there is no award the entertainment industry has that can match the magnitude of the star Dick Clark was, and still is, it is an honor to get to be a part of the Academy’s tribute to him.  There may be others who have contributed as much to the music industry, but there is definitely no one that has contributed more than Dick Clark.  He was music’s best friend, and a dear friend to me,” said Garth Brooks.

Recipients of the ACM Artist of the Decade Award include Strait in 2009, Brooks in 1998, Alabama in 1988, Loretta Lynn in 1979 and Marty Robbins in 1969. The ACM Dick Clark Artist of the Decade Award is an Academy honor bestowed on a country music artist only once every decade. 

Performers:

George Strait has won twenty Academy of Country Music Awards, including the Artist of the Decade award, an award that has only been given to four other acts in the Academy’s history.  He also holds the record for the most No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. He has sold more than 68 million records, garnering him 32 different platinum or multi-platinum albums resulting in the most RIAA platinum certifications in country music and the third in all genres, behind The Beatles and Elvis Presley. Strait recently released his newest single, “Give It All We’ve Got Tonight”—the first release from his forthcoming 2013 album, Love is Everything, due in stores on May 14. Strait also placed #1 on Pollstar’s Concert Pulse chart in March after the first leg of his on-going two-year final U.S. tour, “The Cowboy Rides Away Tour” with special guest Martina McBride. 

Garth Brooks is a pivotal figure in the history of country music, garnering over twenty ACM Awards, including six Entertainer of the Year Awards, an Artist of the Decade award, and a Cliffie Stone Pioneer Award, honoring individuals who are pioneers in the country music genre. Certified by the RIAA in 2000 as the #1-selling solo artist in U.S. history, Brooks has sold in excess of over 128 million albums and has received every accolade the recording industry can bestow on an artist. With his commercially savvy fusion of post-Merle Haggard country, honky-tonk, post-folk-rock sensitive singer/songwriter sensibilities, and ’70s arena rock dramatics, Brooks brought country music to a new audience in the ’90s — namely, a mass audience. Before Brooks, it was inconceivable for a country artist to go multi-platinum. He shattered that barrier in 1991, when his second album, No Fences, began its chart domination, and its follow-up, Ropin’ the Wind, became the first country album to debut at the top of the pop charts. He is currently raising his children in Oklahoma. 

To download archival photos and video of Dick Clark with country music artists, please visit http://www.acmcountry.com/press.html. 

About the Academy of Country Music Awards
The 48^th Academy of Country Music Awards is dedicated to honoring and showcasing the biggest names and emerging talent in the country music industry.  The show is produced for television by dick clark productions and will be broadcast LIVE from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas Sunday, April 7, 2013 at 8:00 PM live ET/delayed PT on the CBS Television Network.  Allen Shapiro, Orly Adelson and R.A. Clark are executive producers.  Barry Adelman is producer, and Bob Bardo is the executive in charge of production. Bob Romeo is executive producer for the Academy of Country Music. 

Luke Bryan remains at the top of the country album chart with his Spring Break…Here to Party collection. The disc sold nearly 61,000 copies this week to land at number-one on the country chart and at number-three on the overall chart. Here to Party debuted at number-one on the Billboard Top 200 chart after selling 150,000 copies. The collection of songs, including “If You Ain’t Here to Party,” “Buzzkill,” “Just a Sip,” “Suntan City” and “Cold Beer Drinker,” is the perfect backdrop for Spring Break at the beach. Luke was just at Panama City Beach last week to play a two-night stand there for the Spring Break revelers, and he says he would often spend his vacation at the beach growing up. “I grew up three hours from Panama City. I mean I think everybody has an attraction to the water and the beach, the lake and rivers and all that stuff, and I’ve always been that way,” says Luke. “I think the beach just makes you feel good, just being out on the water, the salt air all that stuff.”

Luke continues his Dirt Road Diaries Tour Thursday (March 21st) in Florence, South Carolina.

AUDIO: Luke Bryan says he and his family would vacation at Panama City Beach when he was a kid, and then he and his buddies would spend Spring Break down there. He played a pair of shows at PCB last week to promote his album, Spring Break…Here to Party.

Luke Bryan (PCB) OC: …rolling into town. :22
“I grew up three hours from Panama City. I mean I think everybody has an attraction to the water and the beach, the lake and rivers and all that stuff, and I’ve always been that way. I think the beach just makes you feel good, just being out on the water, the salt air all that stuff. So, yeah, as a boy we went [on] vacations there, and so there’s nothing like rolling the windows down and smelling the beach when you’re rolling into town.”

From GACTV.com:

As reigning ACM Top New Artist, Scotty McCreery knows exactly how Florida Georgia Line, Brantley Gilbert and Jana Kramer feel as they vie for this year’s ACM Top New Artist Award. Scotty will host the ACM Top New Artist special, premiering Monday, March 25th at 8pm ET on GAC where each of the finalists will receive their individual category trophy from Scotty.

“Winning the ACM award was a huge stepping stone for me and is kind of cool for me and my fans,” Scotty said. “Even those who maybe weren’t fans were made aware of me through that show.” 

Florida Georgia Line was named the ACM Top New Duo or Group and will perform their hits “Cruise” and “Get Your Shine On” during the special. “This has all happened so fast, I just think we’re the luckiest guys in the world to get to do music for a living,” Brian Kelley said. “What’s cool about it is that if we don’t win, we know one of our friends is going to win so it’s kind of just a win/win situation,” Tyler Hubbard added.

Brantley Gilbert took home the ACM Top New Male trophy and is up for New Artist for the second consecutive year. He’ll perform “More Than Miles” and “Kick It In The Sticks” on the special. He says his fans aren’t, well, fans.

“I’ve never considered them fans, we consider them friends,” he said.  “I don’t sing anything I don’t write and I don’t write anything I hadn’t been through so I think a friend is someone who knows you and if you listen to any of my records, you got a pretty good idea of who I am, good or bad.”

Jana Kramer, named Top New Female Artist, is enjoying a second successful career as a singer. She formerly starred on the hit series One Tree Hill. She’ll perform “Why Ya Wanna” and “Whiskey” while cracking jokes that regardless of whether she or fiancé Brantley Gilbert wins, the trophy will come home to the same house.

Final round fan voting for the New Artist category will begin at VoteACM.com on March 25 and will close April 7, with the winner announced live during the 48th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards. Co-hosted by Blake Shelton and Luke Bryan, the ACM Awards air live on CBS on April 7 at 8/7c.

Alan Jackson will release Precious Memories, Volume II on Tuesday (March 26th), following up the hugely successful first volume from 2006. Originally, the Georgia native recorded the collection as a Christmas present for his mother, but he was encouraged by his friends and record label to release it to the public. The original Precious Memories has sold more than two-million copies.

“It’s just really overwhelming how many people have enjoyed this album. So, of course, ever since I made the first one, they’re like, ‘When [are] you going to make another one?,'” he laughs. “We had so many songs, of course, that we didn’t get to do on the first one , but…Denise sat down and helped me pick out some more this time, and…that’s where we’re at. We tried to just go in and do it just like the first one – just heartfelt and simple.”

Precious Memories, Volume II will hit stores next Tuesday.

Precious Memories Volume II Track List:
1. “Amazing Grace”
2. “He Lives”
3. “Just As I Am”
4. “Love Lifted Me”
5. “O How I Love Jesus”
6. “Only Trust Him”
7. “There Is Power In The Blood”
8. “Precious Memories”
9. “Sweet Hour of Prayer”
10. “When the Roll is Called Up Yonder”
11. “Wherever He Leads I’ll Go”

Alan Jackson explains why he chose to record and release Precious Memories Volume II.

AJ (Precious Memories 2) OC: …heartfelt and simple. :34
“It’s just really overwhelming how many people have enjoyed this album. So, of course, ever since I made the first one, they’re like, ‘When [are] you going to make another one?’ (laughs) That’s all I’ve heard now for…(laughs) ‘When [are] you going to make another one?’ We had so many songs, of course, that we didn’t get to do on the first one , but…and Denise sat down and helped me pick out some more this time, and…that’s where we’re at. I just…we tried to just go in and do it just like the first one – just heartfelt and simple.”

Kacey Musgraves performs her Top 10 hit, “Merry Go Round,” on NBC’s Today Show on Tuesday (March 19th). Check out the performance below.

Kip Moore released the official music video for his latest single, “Hey Pretty Girl,” exclusively to the Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, and it premiered on last night. Check it out below.  

Nashville – March 18, 2013 – ACM Entertainer of the Year nominee and co-host Luke Bryan headlined the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo™ this past Saturday night before a crowd of 75,242 fans. This was Luke’s second performance at the Rodeo, his first as a headliner, and the largest crowd of his career. At the close of this Saturday’s show, the rodeo also reported this was the second-largest crowd in their history.

“I may have said it last year,” Luke said from the rodeo stage, “but I grew up dreaming of playing the Houston Rodeo. To sell this place out on a Saturday night is a country boy’s dream!”

In additional touring news, Luke’s headline tour, the “Dirt Road Diaries Tour,” will continue this week with shows in Florence, South Carolina, Fayetteville, North Carolina, Charlottesville, Virginia and Morgantown, West Virginia.

Kacey Musgraves releases her debut album, Same Trailer, Different Park, on Tuesday (March 19th). The Texas native co-wrote and co-produced every song on the album, including her Top 10 hit, “Merry Go Round,” and her latest single, “Blowin’ Smoke.” Kacey says she hopes folks who pick up a copy of her album will identify with all of the songs. “Hopefully, when people hear Same Trailer, they will…obviously love it, but also I hope they walk away with just knowing that I’m influenced by so many different kinds of things, and I hope they just connect in some way,” says Kacey. “I mean, if I can make somebody feel something then I feel like I’ve done my job as a songwriter. So, that’s my favorite part — just being inspired by something I went through and seeing other people say, ‘I get it, like I went through that, too.’”

Catch Kacey on NBC’s Today Show on Tuesday (March 19th) or on tour with Kenny Chesney and his No Shoes Nation Tour.

AUDIO: Kacey Musgraves expresses hope that people will connect with the songs on her debut album, Same Trailer, Different Park.

Kacey Musgraves (fans will hopefully identify with album) OC: …that, too. :25
“Well, hopefully when people hear Same Trailer, they will…obviously love it, but also I hope they walk away with just knowing that I’m influenced by so many different kinds of things, and I hope they just connect in some way. I mean, if I can make somebody feel something then I feel like I’ve done my job as a songwriter. So, that’s my favorite part — just being inspired by something I went through and seeing other people say, ‘I get it, like I went through that, too.’”

George Strait is gearing up to release his 40th studio album – titled Love is Everything – on May 14th. The Country Music Hall of Famer was planning on writing songs over the Christmas break for the new album, but it doesn’t necessarily mean every song he writes will make the cut. “I’ve always thought that whether I’m writing or not, I’ve got to pick the best songs,” says George. “I’m not gonna sing ‘em just because I wrote ‘em. I’ve got to find the best songs to make the best album I can make.”

George’s latest single, “Give It All We Got Tonight,” is the first release from his upcoming album, Love is Everything.

AUDIO: George Strait talks about picking the best songs he can find, no matter if he wrote them or not.

George Strait (picking best songs) OC: …can make. :11
“You know, I’ve always thought that whether I’m writing or not, I’ve got to pick the best songs. I’m not gonna sing ‘em just because I wrote ‘em. I’ve got to find the best songs to make the best album I can make.”