Nashville, TN – Dec. 17, 2012 – Award winning singer-songwriter Dierks Bentley has one of the most recognizable voices in country music, and this year, that signature sound that could only be Dierks was heard more than ever on country radio with three consecutive No. one hits off his sixth studio album HOME bringing his total as both a singer and a songwriter to 10. It was a dizzying 2012 for the artist, who also toured internationally, nabbed award nominations from the ACMs, CMAs and most recently the GRAMMYs, mined GOLD singles and found himself sitting at the top of critics’ year end lists.
 
“Seems like every man in Nashville wants to be the Nashville Everyman. Here, Bentley actually pulls it off, singing from various vantages with smarts and charm. Bonus points for the patriotic title track, which still sounds sensible after an election season that left America covered in red-and-blue bruises.” – Washington Post, 2012’s Top 10 Albums
 
“Bentley always utilizes banjo, fiddle, mandolin and especially dobro in his music, but with a modern beat and energy that, along with his distinctive voice, gives him a compelling sound of his own.” – Associated Press

“Dierks Bentley’s music reaches all the way from Nashville to my kitchen in Dublin. When he sings “Home” I feel patriotic about America and I’m not even American. I think anyone who hears it understands that America is not just a geography, it’s not just a country, it’s an idea. I think country fans get that deeper than most.”  – Bono

Bentley’s tribute to Johnny Cash on the GRAMMY Nominations Concert capped off 2012’s string of television appearances this year that included TODAY, The Late Show with David Letterman, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, CMA Music Festival: Country’s Night to Rock, CBS’ Teachers Rock, and awards shows including the 54th Annual GRAMMY Awards, 47th Annual ACM Awards, 46th Annual CMA Awards and the 2012 American Country Awards.
 
Bentley toured the US and beyond to Canada and Australia during his 55-city Country & Cold Cans Tour. The road warrior sold out shows across the country including the iconic Red Rocks Amphitheater, and along the way notched the one millionth mile on his faithful tour bus “Goldie.”  He also shared the stage with iconic rock guitarists Mike McCready of Pearl Jam on Record Store Day and Chris Shiflett from Foo Fighters at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles. The Grand Ole Opry member lent his voice to the theme song of the final season of “Weeds” and set down his guitar to test his hosting skills at the 2012 ACM Honors where he charmed the industry-filled audience with jokes about his peers, thoughtful stories about his idols and obscure facts about Country Music history.  Not done yet, Bentley also found time to record and release the fan inspired COUNTRY & COLD CANS EP, as well as design and unveil his signature HD Dierks Bentley Custom Signature Artist Edition Martin guitar.
 
After some time off the road for the holidays, Bentley will ring in the New Year with pre-game concerts at both the Capitol One Bowl in Orlando and the BCS National Championship Game in Miami. From Florida, preparations will begin for the launch of the Miranda Lambert and Dierks Bentley: Locked & Reloaded Tour set to kick off January 17th in Columbia, SC.  

For a video look at the year in review and a full list of upcoming appearances and tour dates, visit www.dierks.com.    

AUDIO: Little Big Town‘s Kimberly Roads and her family have an annual Christmas tradition…Christmas pajamas. Since all of the members of the band now have children, they all have adopted the same tradition.

LBT (Christmas tradition-Kimberly) OC: …Santa comes. :28
“My favorite holiday tradition is, it’s happened very year that I can remember that I’ve been alive. We would go over to my grandmother’s house and have Christmas over there, and everybody would come home to Mama and Daddy’s house. We’d sit down and Mama hands out everybody a gift, and we act like we don’t what it is, but we do, ’cause it’s always Christmas pajamas. So, everybody opens their Christmas pajamas and goes and puts ’em on, and we come back to the living room and we sit around Daddy and he reads The Christmas Story. And we tuck ourselves in until Santa comes.”

AUDIO: Little Big Town’s Karen Fairchild talks about one of her childhood Christmas traditions of making candy.

LBT (Karen-making candy) OC: …butter inside. :20
KAREN: “Christmases at our house growing up usually included making candy with my mother and my grandmother. We did everything from potato candy to chocolate dipped peanut butter and fudge. My mom’s fudge recipe is amazing.”

KIMBERLY: “What is potato candy?”

KAREN: “It does use a potato, but it’s like a roll that has peanut butter inside.”

AUDIO: Little Big Town’s Phillip Sweet says he likes to spend a “cozy” Christmas at home with his family.

LBT (Phillip-cozy Christmas) OC: …being together. :14
“I like the thought of being cozy warm with the fire going on inside while it’s snowing outside, inside your own little four walls of home. Just that – without sounding cliché – that’s just the most amazing thing, just being together.”

AUDIO: Luke Bryan says he and his family – wife Caroline and sons Bo and Tate – will be staying at home in Nashville for Christmas this year.

Luke Bryan (Christmas plans 2012) OC: …the chimney. :24
“Christmas is going to be good. My wife and I, we finally said we’re not loading the boys up on a tour bus and driving ‘em down to Georgia and all that. We’re spending Christmas in Nashville and Santa’s coming to the house. We’ve got two boys that they understand Santa, and they’re ready for them to get there. Now, we just gotta get ol’ Santa down the chimney.”

AUDIO: David Nail talks about his favorite Christmas memory.

David Nail (FavoriteChristmasMemory) OC: …on the couch. :39
“It was always very, very simple. My grandparents lived right across the street from us. I would get up in the morning, and I’d look out the window and you’d see a car there, and you’d get in the shower and come back and see a couple more cars there and it was kind of that anticipation of seeing all the family members start to come into town in the morning. And then we always got to kind of roll over there last, and it was like once we showed up, that was kind of the go-time! The food’s out, you eat, and so after we ate and after we opened gifts, it was kind of a race to see who could catch my dad sneak back across the street to take a nap, because he was always the first one to start dozing off on the couch.”

Eric Paslay grew up in Texas with much of his extended family in the same town, so there were many toys to play with at Christmas time.

AUDIO: Eric Paslay talks about his Christmas holidays when he was a child.

Eric Paslay (Christmases growing up) OC: …and football. :37
‘I remember always [on] Christmas Eve, we’d go 5to my Mom’s mother’s house, my grandmother, and we’d open up gifts kinda from the family. And my great-aunt, lived across the street, so all of those cousins, we’d go over there and hang out and steal some more cookies and kind of show…what’cha got and play with the toy for five minutes and move on to the other cousin’s toys. And then the next morning, maybe when we were younger, open up some more presents, you know, and then go to my other grandparents’ [house], my dad’s parents and hang out with that family, and it was always fun. We’d always have turkey, ham and football.”

AUDIO: Eric Paslay talks about his favorite Christmas song.

Eric Paslay (Christmas Song) OC: …Christmas. :07
“My favorite Christmas song is ‘Away in a Manger.’ The melody’s so beautiful, and I think it’s the true meaning of Christmas.”

AUDIO: George Strait recalls his Christmas memories growing up.

George Strait (Christmas memories) OC: …back then. :21
“At Christmas time, we always kind of got together at my grandparents and had Christmas there, and it was a lot of fun because you’d see cousins that you hadn’t seen in a while. Those are the memories that I have, getting to spend a few days with them and opening presents and it was just a lot of fun back then.”

AUDIO: Josh Turner, a father of three boys, talks about his favorite Christmas food.

Josh Turner (favorite Christmas food) OC: …favorite food. :15
“My favorite food to eat at Christmas time is probably the fried turkey that my daddy makes every year He started that several years back, and it became a hit with our family, and so he ended up doing it. He’s been doing it every year since, so that’s always been my favorite food.”

AUDIO: Kip Moore recalls his last Christmas he spent with his father.

Kip Moore (last Christmas with Dad) OC: …always remember that. :24
“Every Thanksgiving and Christmas, my dad and my two brothers, we’d all go fishing down in the Gulf. [Last year] was my last Christmas to go fishing with my dad, but I can remember it was an amazing time. We got a lot of laughs in, and we saw the most amazing sunset I’ve ever seen in my life as we were driving back in. And we stopped the boat and sat there and stared at it for a while and I’ll always remember that.”

AUDIO: Lauren Alaina recalls her favorite Christmas memory.

Lauren Alaina (favorite Christmas memory) OC: …on it. :09
“This is Lauren Alaina, and my favorite Christmas memory is when I got my Barbie bike when I was like six years old and I thought I ruled the world because it had a horn and it had Barbie’s picture on it.”

Eric Church had certain family Christmas traditions, ones he wants to carry over into his immediate family, which includes his wife, Katherine, and two-month-old son, Boone. One tradition, though, is very significant and puts everything into perspective for him and the rest of his family. “My grandmother, when she was alive, would always come over, and every year she would bring this Christmas story, and some of them were gut-wrenching. I’m not going to lie to you,” says Eric. “They were just heart-tugging stories…about a Christmas miracle…and she would always look all year long and find this story, and then we would have breakfast and she would read it, and it was just our family and we’ve carried that [tradition] on. My mom does that now and she’s kind of taken it and she finds the story, and that’s something I’m going to do with my family.”

AUDIO: Eric Church talks about his favorite holiday, Christmas, and the one tradition he will carry over into his immediate family, which includes wife, Katherine, and their two-month old son, Boone.

Eric Church (Christmas tradition) OC: …as fortunate. :58
“It’s breakfast for me. My grandmother, when she was alive, would always come over, and every year she would bring this Christmas story, and some of them were gut-wrenching. I’m not going to lie to you. They were just heart tugging stories about people who had had…about a Christmas miracle, who had something happen to them; something magical for Christmas that had turned life around…whether it was a homeless person, or just anything. And she would always look all year long and find this story, and then we would have breakfast and she would read it, and it was just our family and we’ve carried that on. My mom does that now and she’s kind of taken it and she finds the story, and that’s something I’m going to do with my family. And Katherine and I have talked about it. It’ll be her turn to find that and we have a big Christmas breakfast and we sit around and we share that. It’s just a neat thing, family-wise, to have that and to always wonder what that story is going to be and what it’s going to be about, and sometimes they’re brutal. I mean it can be hard, you know. You get up on Christmas morning and you’re in a good mood and they’re just gut-wrenching, you know, but it’s fun to put things in perspective, and it makes you think about people that aren’t as fortunate.”

Keith Urban now is probably making some of his favorite Christmas memories, especially with his two little girls – Sunday and Faith – to spoil during the holidays. The entertainer, however, remembers his Christmases as a child growing up in Australia, which usually involved spending time at the beach. ““Most of my memories of Christmas in Australia were loading up the station wagon and going to the beach,” recalls Keith. “The four of us – my brother and me and Mum and Dad – would all go to the beach, and there’d be families everywhere and we’d take a lunch with us. And a lot of times, we’d take a lot of the presents with us and we’d open ‘em up either on the beach or in the backseat of the car; usually in the car because we couldn’t wait ‘til we got to the beach.” One particular present stands out for the singer. ““I got a yellow Tonka truck when I was about 6, I think, and it’s probably still my favorite Christmas gift ever. Those things last forever, too.”

AUDIO: Keith Urban recalls Christmas memories of the beach when he was growing up in Australia.

Keith Urban (beach) OC: …memories of Christmas. :29
“Most of my memories of Christmas in Australia were loading up the station wagon and going to the beach, which sounds like a strange thing to do, unless you live in Florida, maybe. But that’s mostly what we did. The four of us – my brother and me and Mum and Dad – would all go to the beach, and there’d be families everywhere and we’d take a lunch with us. And a lot of times, we’d take a lot of the presents with us and we’d open ‘em up either on the beach or in the backseat of the car; usually in the car because we couldn’t wait ‘til we got to the beach. That’s most of my fond memories of Christmas.”

AUDIO: Keith Urban talks about one of his favorite Christmas gifts as a child.

Keith Urban (Christmas—yellow Tonka truck) OC: …forever, too. :09
“I got a yellow Tonka truck when I was about 6, I think, and it’s probably still my favorite Christmas gift ever. Those things last forever, too.”

Check out the video below on Kacey Musgraves, and get to know the “Merry Go ‘Round” singer!

AUDIO: Lady A’s Hillary Scott talks about her younger sister, who still experiences the magic of Christmas.

Lady A (Santa-Hillary) OC: …and sweet. :31
“My little sister, she’s almost 12 years old and this Christmas, she will be 12. Just that innocence of a child is so fun and so sweet to be able to wake up every Christmas morning and wonder what Santa brought you. And so I definitely want to carry on that tradition of that excitement and that child-like spirit of surprise and just everything that Christmas is. It was that way for me growing up and then being so much older than my sister, seeing that in her too has just been so amazing and sweet.”

Lady A (fake tree vs real tree) OC: (Charles) …the lights up. :47
DAVE/HILLARY: “Fake tree!”

CHARLES: “I would love to have a real tree, and we used to have it and I always wondered why I couldn’t breathe. [LAUGHS] Dave and I share, we’re allergic to everything in this world, so we have to have fake trees.”

HILLARY: “There not as messy. [CHARLES: “And who wants their house to burn down accidentally?”] They still kinda shed anyway like a real tree, but I don’t know, I just feel like the sap and everything, it gets on my floor.”

DAVE: “Which some people love! Most people … the cleanup and the smell, but for me it’s just a little too much maintenance at Christmas time. I’d rather focus on [HILLARY: “The family.”] presents, family, food [CHARLES: “And drinking.”], so then the tree just pops in the attic for good.”

HILLARY: [LAUGHS] “Pre-lit tree.”

CHARLES: “Omigosh, you’re going super laziness.”

DAVE: “You at least need to put some lights on.”

CHARLES: “At least string the lights up.”

Eric Church is set to wrap his Blood, Sweat & Beers Tour this weekend, with shows in Jacksonville and Sunrise, Florida. Not only has he enjoyed his first two number-one songs (“Drink in My Hand,” “Springsteen”), a platinum album (for Chief), his first headlining arena tour and his first CMA Award for Album of the Year, not to mention that his son, Boone, turned one this year. The North Carolina native is looking forward to a little time off to reflect back on his amazing year. “As the other stuff was going on professionally, there was a lot of firsts going on personally. A lot of it has been exhilarating, but equally it’s been a little draining,” says Eric. “You know, when you get to the end of the year, you just kind of want a little time to not even think about a guitar. You just want to process what’s happened, and then try to figure out what’s next.”

Eric is set to join Kenny Chesney for a handful of stadium shows on the No Shoes Nation Tour.

AUDIO: Eric Church is about to wrap up the biggest year of both of his professional and personal lives, and he’s starting to process everything that’s happened.

Eric Church (end of year) OC: …what’s next. :16
“As the other stuff was going on professionally, there was a lot of firsts going on personally. A lot of it has been exhilarating, but equally it’s been a little draining. You know, when you get to the end of the year, you just kind of want a little time to not even think about a guitar. You just want to process what’s happened, and then try to figure out what’s next.”