• DARIUS RUCKER ADDED TO THE LIST OF PRESENTERS AT THE CMA AWARDS.

    Darius Rucker, Reba and Jake Owen have been added to the list of presenters for Thursday’s CMA Awards.

    Reba will also perform two songs on ABC’s Good Morning America earlier that day. Additional presenters include newcomer Jana Kramer, Lisa Marie Presley, Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson and actors Tim Allen, Kimberly Williams Paisley and Nashville stars Connie Britton and Hayden Panettiere

    Prior to the telecast, the awards for Musical Event, Music Video and Musician of the Year will be presented, while the winners of Musical Event and Music Video of the Year will be announced during ABC’s Good Morning America earlier on Thursday (November 1st).  

  • LITTLE BIG TOWN RELEASE TRAILER FOR NEW ‘TORNADO’ VIDEO. (VIDEO)

    Little Big Town will world-premiere their “Tornado” music video Wednesday (October 31st) at 6am ET on CMT, repeating every hour throughout the music hours.

    “Tornado” was filmed in Watertown, Tennessee. Actor and friend of the band, Jonathon Schaech, co-stars in the video, which was directed by Shane Drake.

    Check out the terrific “Tornado” trailer below.

  • LUKE BRYAN WILL PERFORM LIVE ON ‘THE GRAMMY NOMINATIONS CONCERT.’

    Luke Bryan has been tapped to perform on The Grammy Nominations Concert Live!!—Countdown to Music’s Biggest Night. The CBS Television special will be co-hosted by LL Cool J and Taylor Swift, and will also include a performance by Maroon 5. The show will air live from Nashville December 5th on CBS.

    Luke is on the verge of hitting the top of the country charts with his latest single, “Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye.”

  • KEITH URBAN REVEALS SOME OF HIS CURRENT FAVORITE THINGS. (VIDEO)

    In this week’s Urban Chat, Keith Urban shares a few of his current favorite things. Be sure to check out the psychological thriller The Sound of My Voice, the single “1994” by Jason Aldean, Jeff Buckely music, Counter Culture Coffee and Ames Bros T-shirts!

    Video / Urban Chat: Video 27: Just A Few Of My Favorite Things

    View
  • CMA AWARDS 2012: Lady Antebellum (AUDIO)

    Lady Antebellum picked up a pair of nominations at this year’s CMA Awards, including Vocal Group and Album of the Year for their platinum-certified Own the Night. The group picked up their first CMA award in 2008 for New Artist of the Year. They’ve been named Vocal Group of the Year for the past three years in a row (2009-2011).

    AUDIO: Lady Antebellum’s Charles Kelley talks about their Album of the Year nomination.

    Lady A (CMA-Album nomination) OC: …for granted. :20
    “When we found out that the album was nominated, it was just such an amazing feeling. [The] Own the Night is really special to us and really a nostalgic record for us. And so, to see it still kind of get recognized like that is a special thing. There’s just so many great records in [that category] and so, it’s awesome. We definitely don’t take it for granted.”

  • CMA AWARDS 2012: Keith Urban (AUDIO)

    Keith Urban is nominated for Male Vocalist of the Year, an award he has won three times (2004-2006). Since winning the CMA Horizon Award (now New Artist of the Year) in 2001, he has collected 25 CMA Awards nominations. He won Entertainer of the Year in 2005 and Musical Event of the Year in 2009 for “Start a Band” with Brad Paisley. The new American Idol judge is ready to hit the stage at the CMA Awards on Thursday.

    The 46th annual CMA Awards will be broadcast live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena Thursday (November 1st) at 8pm ET on ABC.

    AUDIO: Keith Urban talks about performing on awards shows.

    Keith Urban (on perf on awards shows) OC: …know about. :10
    “I look forward to being able to play on awards shows. That is the absolute moment that matters most to me, is getting to play. ‘Cause the other stuff is, I don’t know about the other stuff. I know about playing, that’s the only thing I know about.

  • CMA AWARDS 2012: Eric Paslay (AUDIO)

    Eric Paslay scored his very first nomination for Song of the Year for writing the No. 1 hit, “Even If It Breaks Your Heart,” with pal, Will Hoge.

    AUDIO: Eric Paslay says it has always been a dream to be nominated for a CMA Award.

    Eric Paslay (CMA 2012) OC: …nominated. :10
    “Getting nominated for a CMA is crazy. There’s always that hidden secret in ya as a musician, as a songwriter and as a singer of like, ‘Maybe someday, I’ll get nominated.”

    AUDIO: Eric Paslay talks about his CMA-nominated song, “Even If It Breaks Your Heart.”

    Eric Paslay (CMA-Even If It Breaks Your Heart) OC: …just life. :32
    “I wrote ‘Even If It Breaks Your Heart’ with Will Hoge, who’s an artist in Nashville, and he’s more of a Triple A artist; and that song actually was released on Triple A radio. I think the majority of people that tell me they love it are the musicians or the entertainers ’cause it’s so much about what we do. It’s like, ‘Keep on dreamin’ even if it breaks your heart.’ If you let it, it can break your heart every day from the ‘yes’s’ and the ‘no’s’ and the ‘you’re not good enough’ and ‘now you are’ and ‘you should have done.’ Whatever it is and I think that’s just life.”

  • CMA AWARDS 2012: Alan Jackson (AUDIO)

    Alan Jackson is nominated for a CMA Award for Music Event of the Year with his pal Zac Brown on their duet, “Dixie Highway,” which appears on Alan’s latest album, Thirty Miles West.

    AUDIO: Alan Jackson talks about Zac Brown, with whom he’s nominated for Music Event of the Year for “Dixie Highway” at this week’s CMA Awards.

    AJ (Zac Brown) OC: …of sound. :38
    “I like artists, and I like Zac, that are the real thing, you know. He’s been playin’ in clubs for years and had that band and just strugglin’ like people do, and playing ‘til he likes, the music and he’s a songwriter. He’s not just a singer, a guy that got out of college and said, ‘hey, I wanna be a country singer and move to Nashville.’ He’s a guy who was singing and really making a living doing it playing clubs and things that I did to. I think it comes across and just his style when he sings, he’s created his own sound and his own musical style too. It’s not real hard country, but it’s rootsy. You know I like that kind of sound.”

  • CMA AWARDS 2012: Little Big Town (AUDIO)

    Little Big Town scored three CMA nominations this year, including Vocal Group, Single & Video of the Year for their No. 1 hit, “Pontoon.”

    The 46th annual CMA Awards will be broadcast live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena Thursday (November 1st) at 8pm ET on ABC.

    In other LBT news, don’t forget to watch live (or set your DVR) for their performance on ABC’s Dancing With the Stars on Tuesday (October 30th). Also, the music video for their latest single, “Tornado,” will make its world premiere on CMT Wednesday (October 31st) at 6am ET on CMT.

    AUDIO: Little Big Town’s Karen Fairchild talks about their CMA nomination for Single of the Year for “Pontoon.”

    LBT (CMA Single of the Year) OC: …good time. :22
    “We’ve never been nominated [for Single of the Year]. We’ve been nominated for Group before, but never for that, a song performance. So, it’s just super cool. Who would’ve thought that ‘Motorboatin’’ would be up for Single of the Year, you know? But that’s how big an impact, I guess, it’s had with the fans and with people. People want to have a good time.”

    AUDIO: Little Big Town’s Karen Fairchild and Phillip Sweet talk about their CMA nomination for Group of the Year.

    LBT (CMA Group) OC: (Phillip) …cloud nine. :08
    “[We’re] so honored. The Group of the Year category is fierce.” PHILLIP: “We’re so thrilled. I mean, this is the best! [We’re] living on cloud nine.”

  • KELLEIGH BANNEN MAKES HER TELEVISION DEBUT ON TUESDAY’S ‘HART OF DIXIE.’ (AUDIO)

    Kelleigh Bannen makes her television debut in the CW’s Hart of Dixie on Tuesday (October 30th). The “Sorry on the Rocks” singer will appear as the “country band” in the Halloween-themed episode of the show. “We’re playing a couple of songs on camera while the story’s unfolding sort of around us at this local party at this local club,” Kelleigh explains. “It was fun. I really didn’t have to act. I just had to lip-synch really well.”

    Kelleigh had to be in makeup at 4am and was on the set until after 6pm shooting her scenes, which made for a long day. What made up for the long hours on the soundstage was the catering. “You’re working this kind of really long day in the soundstage, and it’s dark and you kind of don’t even know what time it is, and they keep bringing out new food, like there’s new trays of food that keep showing up,” she says. “Amazing sliders and fries and then berries and whipped cream. I was attacking the berries and the cream.”

    Fans will see her perform her debut single “Sorry on the Rocks,” as well as “Be a Man,” which will appear on her forthcoming album, due out next year.

    AUDIO: Kelleigh Bannen describes her appearance in the CW’s Hart of Dixie Halloween episode.

    Kelleigh Bannen (Hart of Dixie) OC: …really well. [laughs] :21
    “They were looking for a country band to play a country band in their show, so actually, it’s a Halloween episode, and we’re playing a couple of songs on camera while the story’s unfolding sort of around us at this local party at this local club. It was fun. I really didn’t have to act. I just had to lip-synch really well.” [laughs]”

    AUDIO: Kelleigh Bannen really enjoyed the catering on the set of the CW’s Hart of Dixie.

    Kelleigh Bannen (Hart of Dixie catering) OC: …the cream. :23

    “The catering that they had was awesome. You’re working this kind of really long day in the soundstage, and it’s dark and you kind of don’t even know what time it is, and they keep bringing out new food, like there’s new trays of food that keep showing up. Amazing sliders and fries and then berries and whipped cream. I was attacking the berries and the cream.”