Keith Urban has been named the recipient of this year’s Nashville Symphony’s Harmony Award, which is given to individuals who contain “the harmonious spirit of Nashville’s thriving musical community.” Not only has the entertainer taken Nashville’s music to the far corners of North America, he’s also brought in fans from overseas. He has put his stamp of support on various charities, including his own All for the Hall shows benefitting the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, as well as raising money and giving  support to victims of Nashville’s 2010 flood, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and many more.

Previous recipients include Dolly Parton, Taylor Swift, Martina McBride, Rascal Flatts, Carrie Underwood, Chet Akins, Trisha Yearwood and more.

Keith will receive the award during the 28^th Annual Symphony Ball December 8^th at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center.

“Dirt Road Diaries Tour” Launches in January

Lady Antebellum‘s Own The Night 2012 World Tour made its last stop in Sydney, Australia and closed its last show on October 3rd. The worldwide adventure was a dream come true for Charles, Hillary and Dave. Watch it all come together for one amazing

On December 4th, the band will release their live concert film, Own The Night World Tour, to their fans in the U.S. and Canada, with plans for release worldwide in 2013. Fans will be able to purchase the film in multiple formats including DVD, Blu-ray and will be available at all digital retailers.

The DVD is a full concert from their show in Little Rock, AR from their Own The Night 2012 World Tour this past year. Plus the DVD will include documentary and bonus footage about how it all came together.

Lady A will also release their first Christmas album, On This Winter’s Night, October 22nd.

Luke Bryan is the lead nominee for this year’s American Country Awards (ACAs) with seven, including the night’s top honor, Artist of the Year. Lady Antebellum (along with the Zac Brown Band) are next with six nominations apiece, while Eric Church (and Taylor Swift) took five nods each.

Luke’s nominations include Male Artist, Album (tailgates & tanlines), Single and Video of the Year for “I Don’t Want This Night to End.”

Joining Luke on Album of the Year are Eric Church’s Chief, Lady A’s Own the Night, Dierks Bentley’s Home and Blake Shelton’s Red River Blue. Church is also nominated for Male and Touring Artist of the Year. “Drink in My Hand” gets nominated as Single of the Year, while “Springsteen” gets a nomination for Song of the Year. Lady A’s categories also include overall Artist of the Year, Group, Music Video and Touring Artist of the Year, among others. Keith Urban picks up a pair of nominations for Video of the Year for his poignant “For You,” while Little Big Town gets a nod for Group Video of the Year for their first chart-topper, “Pontoon.”

The third annual ACA Awards will air live from the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas December 10^th at 8pm ET (PT delayed) on FOX. Voting is open now on the show’s website here.

Artist of the Year:
Jason Aldean
Luke Bryan
Lady Antebellum
Taylor Swift
Zac Brown Band

Artist of the Year: Male
Jason Aldean
Luke Bryan
Kenny Chesney
Eric Church
Toby Keith

Artist of the Year: Female
Sara Evans
Miranda Lambert
Martina McBride
Taylor Swift
Carrie Underwood 

Artist of the Year: Group
The Band Perry
Eli Young Band
Lady Antebellum
Rascal Flatts
Zac Brown Band 

Artist of the Year: Breakthrough Artist
Lee Brice
Colt Ford
Gloriana
Justin Moore
Jake Owen 

Artist of the Year: New Artist
Lauren Alaina
Hunter Hayes
Jana Kramer
Kip Moore
Pistol Annies

Album of the Year
Dierks Bentley – Home
Luke Bryan – tailgates & tanlines
Eric Church – Chief
Lady Antebellum – Own the Night
Blake Shelton – Red River Blue 

Single of the Year
Jason Aldean, “Tattoos On This Town”
Luke Bryan, “I Don’t Want This Night To End”
Eric Church, “Drink In My Hand”
Chris Young, “You”
Zac Brown Band, “Keep Me In Mind”

Single of the Year: Male
Jason Aldean, “Tattoos On This Town”
Luke Bryan, “I Don’t Want This Night To End”
Kenny Chesney, “Reality”
Eric Church, “Drink In My Hand”
Chris Young, “You”

Single of the Year: Female
Sara Evans, “My Heart Can’t Tell You No”
Miranda Lambert, “Over You”
Martina McBride, “I’m Gonna Love You Through It”
Taylor Swift, “Ours”
Carrie Underwood, “Good Girl”

Single of the Year: Group
Eli Young Band, “Even If It Breaks Your Heart”
Lady Antebellum, “We Owned The Night”
Rascal Flatts, “Banjo”
The Band Perry, “All Your Life”
 Zac Brown Band, “Keep Me In Mind”

Single of the Year: New Artist
Hunter Hayes, “Wanted”
Jana Kramer, “Why Ya Wanna”
Dustin Lynch, “Cowboys and Angels”
Kip Moore, “Somethin’ ’Bout A Truck”
The Farm, “Home Sweet Home”

Single of the Year: Breakthrough Artist
Lee Brice, “A Woman Like You”
Brantley Gilbert, “You Don’t Know Her Like I Do”
Gloriana, “(Kissed You) Good Night”
David Nail, “Let It Rain”
Jake Owen, “Alone With You”

Single of the Year: Vocal Collaboration
Kix Brooks featuring Joe Walsh, “New To This Town”
Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw, “Feel Like A Rock Star”
Brad Paisley featuring Carrie Underwood, “Remind Me”
Rascal Flatts featuring Natasha Bedingfield, “Easy”
Zac Brown Band featuring Jimmy Buffett, “Knee Deep”

Touring Artist of the Year
Kenny Chesney
Lady Antebellum
Miranda Lambert
Tim McGraw
Brad Paisley
Eric Church
Toby Keith
Rascal Flatts
Taylor Swift
Zac Brown Band
Jason Aldean

Music Video of the Year
Luke Bryan, “I Don’t Want This Night To End”
Jake Owen, “Alone With You”
Blake Shelton, “God Gave Me You”
Keith Urban, “For You”
Chris Young, “You”

Music Video: Male
Luke Bryan, “I Don’t Want This Night to End”
Jake Owen, “Alone With You”
Blake Shelton, “God Gave Me You”
Keith Urban, “For You”
Chris Young, “You” 

Music Video: Female
Sara Evans, “My Heart Can’t Tell You No”
Miranda Lambert, “Over You”
Martina McBride, “I’m Gonna Love You Through It”
Taylor Swift, “Ours”
Carrie Underwood, “Good Girl” 

Music Video: Group or Collaboration
Gloriana, “(Kissed You) Good Night”
Lady Antebellum, “Dancin’ Away With My Heart”
Little Big Town, “Pontoon”
Love and Theft, “Angel Eyes”
The Band Perry, “All Your Life”

Music Video: New Artist
Hunter Hayes, “Wanted”
Casey James, “Let’s Don’t Call It A Night”
Jana Kramer, “Why You Wanna”
Dustin Lynch, “Cowboys and Angels”
Kip Moore, “Somethin’ ’Bout A Truck” 

Song of the Year
Trace Adkins, “Just Fishin’” (Casey Beathard, Monty Criswell and Ed Hill)
Jason Aldean, “Fly Over States,” (Michael Dulaney and Neil Thrasher)
Jason Aldean, “Tattoos On This Town” (Michael Dulaney, Wendell Mobley and Neil Thrasher)
Lee Brice, “A Woman Like You” (Phil Barton, Johnny Bulford and Jon Stone)
Kenny Chesney featuring Grace Potter, “You And Tequila” (Matraca Berg and Deana Carter)
Ronnie Dunn, “Cost of Livin’” (Phillip Coleman and Ronnie Dunn)
Eli Young Band, “Even If It Breaks Your Heart” (Will Hoge and Eric Paslay)
Toby Keith, “Red Solo Cup” (Brett Beavers, Jim Beavers, Brad Warren and Brett Warren)
Eric Church, “Springsteen” (Eric Church, Jeff Hyde and Ryan Tyndell)
Tim McGraw, “Better Than I Used to Be” (Ashley Gorley& Bryan Simpson)

AUDIO: Luke Bryan says his ACA-nominated album, tailgates & tanlines, is more than just a collection of party songs.

Luke Bryan (more than a party) OC: …live shows. :26
 “I think it has serious stuff too. It’s a deeper deal too than just a party. I mean, I think what’s important to be able to do those fun songs but then to hit fans with a big thought song that really gets ‘em. People want to come and have a good time and I think that what you need to do with your albums. You can’t overload your album with it but you certainly need it for the live show and want it to happen in the live shows.”

AUDIO: Eric Church explains what his ACA-nominated song, “Springsteen,” means to him.

Eric Church (Springsteen) OC: …my favorites. :44
“The interesting thing about this song is it has probably less to do with [Bruce] Springsteen than it is about what’s happening at this amphitheater up on the lawn. I had this experience. If you’ve had this experience, no matter whether you stay together or don’t stay together, when you hear that person’s music whether it’s Springsteen or anybody else, you always think of the person you were with at that show. And I have that. I just thought it was an interesting story about two people falling in love at a concert, and for the rest of their life that’s the soundtrack. That artist is the soundtrack to their love, to that time. I just love that. It makes me feel 17 again every time I hear it, and I think that other people feel the same way. It’s just a track that I’m very, very proud of. It might be my favorite on the record. I mean, I go back and forth between a couple, but that’s one of my favorites.”

AUDIO: Lady A’s Hillary Scott talks about their song “Dancin’ Away With My  Heart,” which is up for Group Music Video of the Year for this year’s ACA Awards.

Lady A (Dancin’ Away With My Heart-Hillary) OC: …song’s about. :31
“The first dance I ever went to, I was in second grade in elementary school. It was like for an hour after school or whatever. I can see what my seventh grade boyfriend, you know, I can still picture him and what his name was, and all these things; then I think about prom and homecomings and all of that. I think everyone has that person whether they were technically in a relationship with them or not, or just if they had a secret huge crush on them, that they remember in high school, and wonder what they look like, what they’re doing, how they are, and that’s what that song’s about.”

Little Big Town’s Tornado spends a fourth week atop the Country Albums chart. The album sold another 31,000 copies to hold the top spot on the Country chart, and moves up one notch to No. 8 on the overall Billboard 200. Carrie Underwood’s Blown Away is No. 2 on the country chart, followed by Luke Bryan’s tailgates & tanlines at No. 3. Hunter Hayes self-titled debut album and Eric Church’s Chief round out the Top 5.

Little Big Town’s latest single, “Tornado,” is flying up the charts.

The video for Dierks Bentley’s latest single, “Tip It On Back,” was shot at the Georgia Theatre in Athens, Georgia, and the place was crowded with fans who received the news they could be part of the star’s clip. “The fans were great. We just put a little word out on the street that we were shooting a video, and people came down in the middle of the day and filled the place up,” says Dierks. “We had some beer on stage as props, and pretty soon the props started getting drunk [laughs], and the crowd got into it too.”

The song is about more than just popping the top on a cold one. It’s escaping the trials and tribulations of losing a home, a business, a way of life by letting loose for just a little while. The troubled couple featured in the video clip head to a Dierks Bentley show and end up enjoying themselves and forgetting for a bit. “The song is obviously about tippin’ on back and smoking and all that stuff, but it’s bigger than that too. It’s just about finding some way to take a break from whatever you’re going through, and music is a big part of that too, whether you’re drinking to it or not,” says Dierks. “It’s about the live show and getting out, and I really think it’s transforming going to a live show. I know for me when I go watch a live band show play, it’s like you really walk away with a different attitude, a different perspective.”

This Sunday, Dierks will once again host his annual Miles & Music for Kids motorcycle ride and concert in Nashville. The event ends at Riverfront Park with performances by Dierks, Sheryl Crow, Kix Brooks, Brantley Gilbert, Chris Young and many more.

AUDIO: Dierks Bentley talks about the video for his latest single, “Tip It On Back.”

Dierks Bentley (Tip It On Back video) 1 OC: …with the song. :31
“It turned out great. The fans were great. We just put a little word out on the street that we were shooting a video, and people came down in the middle of the day and filled the place up. We had some beer on stage as props, and pretty soon the props started getting drunk [laughs], and the crowd got into it too. It was a long day. It really was…like doing two shows in one day. We did a show basically for that video. It really felt like a show, and then we played a show for all the kids. But yeah, the video really turned out great. Wes Edwards, who did ‘5-1-5-0,’ also did that video, and it feels really cool. A good storyline to go along with the song.”

Dierks Bentley (Tip It On Back video) 2 OC: …a good job. :26
“I wanted to capture in that video, the song is obviously about tippin’ on back and smoking and all that stuff, but it’s bigger than that too. It’s just about finding some way to take a break from whatever you’re going through, and music is a big part of that too, whether you’re drinking to it or not. It’s about the live show and getting out. And I really think it’s transforming going to a live show. I know for me when I go watch a live band show play, it’s like you really walk away with a different attitude, a different perspective. I think he tried to capture that in the video, and I think he did a good job.”

Some people are unsure as to how to prounounce Kelleigh Bannen‘s first name, which is (Kel-leigh). Check out the “Sorry on the Rocks” singer’s latest webisode in which she discusses the different spellings of her first name, and how even her grandmother didn’t “get” it.

Keith Urban has been working in the studio in-between his responsibilities as a judge on the new season of American Idol. He says of his time this week, “The vibe is KILLER!!”

Keith Urban was honored with the 2012 Harmony Award at the 28th Annual Symphony Ball in Nashville Saturday night (December 8th). The award is presented each year to “an individual who exemplifies the harmonious spirit of Nashville’s thriving music community.”

Previous recipients include Carrie Underwood, Rascal Flatts, Taylor Swift, Martina McBride, Trisha Yearwood, The Judds, Dolly Parton, Vince Gill and LeAnn Rimes.

AUDIO: Keith Urban talks about the Harmony Award, which he received on Saturday night (December 8th).

Keith Urban (Harmony Award) OC: …awareness. :24
“Yeah, it’s a huge honor! When they told me not only that I was receiving it, but the past recipients, too, I thought I was in a really unique, exclusive wonderful club. I just love the fact that the award in itself creates awareness for the music community in Nashville—much like when we do ‘All For The Hall’—it’s a fun event, and we raise a lot of money, but we also raise a lot of awareness.”