Little Big Town is on a mission to make sure people drink responsibly — not only the fact to NOT drink and drive (or drink and drive a boat, as the case may be with their hit summer single, “Pontoon”); but to make sure you keep your beverage cool and “sweat-free” with a fashionable koozie. “The condensation on your drink can make it slip out of your hand, I mean there’s all kinds of reasons,” Phillip Sweet tells The CountryVibe.com. Bandmember Jimi Westbrook agrees, “You get a little too drunk and your grip gets bad so you need something a little more to hold onto. [laughs]”

Jimi and Karen Fairchild‘s son, Elijah, is even getting in on the act. “Elijah’s…asked me to put his ‘Pontoon’ koozie on his bottle,” Karen tells TheCountryVibe.com. “And he’s walkin’ around, but it does keep the milk cold and it looks cute. But it’s so redneck and it’s like he’s got his orange bottle (Jimi – “he’s got his diaper”) and his diaper [laughing], and then he’s got a koozie that says ‘Pontoon’ on it.” 

Catch Little Big Town next Wednesday (June 4th) performing “Pontoon” on the CMT Music Awards airing live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena at 8pm ET on CMT.

AUDIO: Little Big Town discuss the importance of using koozies and they share a funny story about Karen and Jimi’s son Elijah and his koozie.  (must credit TheCountryVibe.com)

LBT (Elijah koozie) OC: …motorboa’in. [laughs] :48  

Phillip – “The condensation on your drink can make it slip out of your hand, I mean there’s all kinds of reasons.” Jimi – “I know. You get a little too drunk and your grip gets bad so you need something a little more to hold onto.” [laughs] Kimberly – “Plus it’s a statement.  No matter whatever your koozie says, says something about you.” Jimi – “It’s a creative outlet.” [laughs] Karen – “Yeah, Elijah’s been puttin’ his … he did it again … he asked me to put his ‘Pontoon’ koozie on his bottle.” Kimberly – “Oh dear!  Wow!  That’s funny.” Karen – “And he’s walkin’ around, but it does keep the milk cold and it looks cute.  But it’s so redneck and it’s like he’s got his orange bottle (Jimi – “he’s got his diaper”) and his diaper (laughing), and then he’s got a koozie that says ‘Pontoon’ on it.” Kimberly – “That’s funny.  That is a redneck picture.” Phillip – “And he’s goin’ ‘mmmm motorboatin’.’” Karen – “And he does. He says ‘Mmmm motoboa-in’” [laughs]

Lipton has released, along with the all new Tea & Honey commercials, a series of behind the scenes trivia episodes with Lady A and the Drink Positive Challenge. Hillary, Charles, and Dave each have their own episode and who ever wins throughout the series makes a donation to the charity of their choice!

One episode will air on the same day each week starting Tuesday, May 29^th with Hillary’s episode. And one random viewer who leaves a comment on the YouTube video will be chosen to win a Lady A prize from the online store. But right now you can watch the preview below of all the trivia, and shenanigans that are to come!

How well does Lady A know each other? And do you think you have what it takes to take on the trivia challenge? Tune in each Tuesday for the next three weeks to find out!

This past fall, Lady A did an acoustic show at Joe’s Bar in Chicago. Watch the performance of Wanted You More in the latest episode of Webisode Wednesday!

Nashville, Tenn. (Thursday, May 31, 2012) –Third Annual “Darius and Friends” concert and golf tournament has been announced for Monday, June 4th, and Darius Rucker is pleased to announce friends Rodney Atkins, Clint Black, Sunny Sweeney, Chuck Wicks and special surprise guests will join him at the concert event benefiting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.  The Wildhorse Saloon in downtown Nashville is once again hosting the evening with doors opening at 6:00 pm CT and the concert beginning at 7:30 pm.   

“We’ve had so much fun the last two years with friends jamming on stage for a great cause,” says Rucker.  “I’m excited to continue that tradition with this year’s event.” 

Rucker is currently in the studio with producer Frank Rogers working on his follow-up to his 2010 release Charleston, SC 1966 and his now-platinum debut, Learn To Live (2008). 

Event posters and t-shirts will be available on-site with all sales, along with all ticket sales from the night, going directly to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital to support their continued success and mission to find cures and save children struggling against deadly diseases.  A limited number of tickets remain and may be purchased at the Wildhorse Saloon (615.902.8200) and on www.ticketmaster.com. 

For additional information, please visit www.dariusrucker.com.

About St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital:

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is internationally recognized for its pioneering work in finding cures and saving children with cancer and other catastrophic diseases. St. Jude is the first and only pediatric cancer center to be designated as a Comprehensive Cancer Center by the National Cancer Institute.  Founded by late entertainer Danny Thomas and based in Memphis, Tenn., St. Jude freely shares its discoveries with scientific and medical communities around the world. St. Jude is the only pediatric cancer research center where families never pay for treatment not covered by insurance. No child is ever denied treatment because of the family’s inability to pay. St. Jude is financially supported by ALSAC, its fundraising organization. For more information, please visit www.stjude.org.

When Vince Vaughn stopped by the Ellen DeGeneres Show this week, he revealed his daughter is a huge fan of Eric Church‘s current single, “Springsteen.”  “She has about seven words. She’s like a pull-out doll. She says those seven words in rotation and sometimes she’ll bend the words. She can make hi sound a lot of different ways. I played this Eric Church song, ‘Springsteen.’ Vince tells Ellen. “When I wake up, she wants me to put it on. She’ll go, ‘Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.’ That’s the bridge in the song. Eric does a much better job than  Ido. That’s her big thing. She likes me to put that song on for her on the laptop.”

He also got props from fellow country superstar, Kenny Chesney, in the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly, according to ABC News Radio.

When asked who he likes among the current crop of rising country stars, Kenny applauds Eric’s approach to building his fan base through constant touring and staying true to himself as an artist. “There’s a difference between having a few songs on the radio and having a career,” Kenny tells Entertainment Weekly, “and the one who stands out the most to me is Eric Church. He’s a real artist. He didn’t come up on some karaoke contest.”

Kenny adds that he likes the way Eric is handling his business right now. He says, “It isn’t the only way, but it might be the most honest way, and the way that usually works out the best.” Kenny is quick to point to the success of Carrie Underwood as an example of someone who got it right after starting their career on a TV show.

Eric is currently poised to hit the top of the country charts with his hit single, “Springsteen,” from his nearly platinum-certified album, Chief.

NASHVILLE, TENN. (May 16, 2012) – Noteworthy at the Opry, a new series on Great American Country, will not only capture performances by the some of the most revered and talented artists in country music, each episode will also include interviews with artists from all musical genres as well as other celebrities who will share their stories about the music and artists featured each week. Through this expanded format, fans will be treated to an in-depth exploration into the lives and music of country music’s most beloved stars. The series debuts Saturday, May 26, 9:00 p.m./ET on GAC with a special 90-minute episode that will celebrate the Memorial Day weekend with a salute to the men and women in the U.S. military. Artists scheduled to appear include Rascal Flatts, Alan Jackson, Kellie Pickler, Montgomery Gentry and Ronnie Milsap. The premiere episode is being sponsored by Humana and Dish Network.

Each episode of Noteworthy at the Opry will center on specific themes including: (just a sampling of those artists performing)

6/02 Alan Jackson: Alan Jackson, Carrie Underwood
6/09 Heartache: Brad Paisley, Carrie Underwood, Scotty McCreery
6/16 Love Songs: Chris Young, Thompson Square, Keith Urban
6/23 Fan Favorites: Brad Paisley, Kellie Pickler, Rascal Flatts

DIERKS BENTLEY AND FANS GET “5-1-5-0” IN NEW MUSIC VIDEO PREMIERING TODAY ON iTUNES
 
Bentley Performs on CMT’s Famed Unplugged Series and Reveals HD Dierks Bentley

Custom Signature Artist Edition Martin Guitar 

 Nashville, TN – May 29, 2012 – Chart-topping country music singer/songwriter Dierks Bentley premieres the music video for his current single “5-1-5-0” on iTunes today. The track just came off another monster week on the charts, jumping from No. 17 to No. 11.

Directed by Wes Edwards, Bentley invited his band and local fans out to the shoot for a wild and muddy ride at the Big Nasty ATV/ Motorcross Park outside of Savannah, Georgia in April.
 
“I have never had so much fun…or gotten so dirty…at a video shoot,” said Bentley. “It’s hard to call it ‘work’ when you get to drive trucks and four wheelers through the mud all day. The fans who came out to this shoot were ready to get 5-1-5-0, so we basically just pulled up a bunch of trucks, threw some gear in the back, turned up the speakers and then let them do their thing. It was pretty wild.”

To watch the video, go to: http://itunes.apple.com/us/music-video/5-1-5-0/id529629704?ign-mpt=uo%3D4.

Fans can also catch Bentley perform on the newly revived Unplugged series, which debuts today on CMT.com. During the performance, Bentley unveils his brand new signature HD Dierks Bentley Custom Signature Artist Edition Martin guitar. Fans can now purchase the HD Dierks Bentley at Martin retail partners for fall delivery. For moreinformation and a full listing of upcoming appearances, visit www.dierks.com.

CMT PRESENTS A SPECIAL ‘CMT CROSSROADS: JOE WALSH & FRIENDS’ PREMIERING SATURDAY, JUNE 23

Kenny Chesney, Brad Paisley, Sara Evans, Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top, Luke Bryan and Hunter Hayes
Join Walsh For a Memorable CMT CROSSROADS Event

        NASHVILLE – Tuesday, May 29 — CMT presents a first of its kind CMT CROSSROADS event, CMT CROSSROADS: JOE WALSH & FRIENDS, featuring the legendary rocker and guitarist Joe Walsh, onstage with friends from country music including Kenny Chesney, Brad Paisley, Sara Evans, Luke Bryan and Hunter Hayes as well as Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top.  For one unforgettable episode of the popular performance series, the stars will align to pay homage to Walsh, performing his hits and Eagles’ classics, including “Life’s Been Good to Me,” “Life in the Fast Lane” and more.  CMT CROSSROADS: JOE WALSH AND FRIENDS premieres on Saturday, June 23 at 11:00 p.m., ET/PT. 

        “It’s an honor and a privilege to be onboard for a CMT CROSSROADS episode,” said Walsh.  “I’ve hand-picked some old friends and some new friends and we’re going to make sure it’s a special evening.  Nothing beats country music with a little rock & roll sprinkled on top.  We’re going to mix up a batch and see what happens. I got a real good feeling about it.  Nashville, here we come!”

        Best known for his powerful guitar licks, Joe Walsh has entertained the masses and captivated his peers for more than three decades with such classics as “Funk #49,” “Walk Away,” “Life’s Been Good,” and “Ordinary Average Guy.” A member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted Eagles, Walsh has also enjoyed tremendous success as a solo artist and will release Analog Man, his first solo album in 20 years, on Tuesday, June 5.  Walsh will tour in support of the new record throughout 2012, both in the US and abroad. For more information, visit JoeWalsh.com or follow @JoeWalsh on Twitter.

        Joe Walsh joins an elite group of performers who have taped CMT CROSSROADS, the critically-acclaimed series that pairs country music stars with popular artists from other genres—pop, rock, R&B—to play together, swap stories, and share their common love of music.  CROSSROADS has aired on CMT for a decade and has featured over 40 musical pairings which have included recently Steven Tyler and Carrie Underwood and Sting and Vince Gill; as well as Bon Jovi and Sugarland; John Mayer and Keith Urban; Kelly Clarkson and Reba McEntire; Joss Stone and LeAnn Rimes; Robert Plant and Alison Krauss; Def Leppard and Taylor Swift; Train and Martina McBride; and The Pretenders and Faith Hill.