Keith Urban became an official member of the Grand Ole Opry on Saturday night (April 21st), and showed the fans in the audience, the ones watching it on TV or hearing it on the radio, just why he’s been such a great ambassador for country music and for Nashville and how deserving he is of Opry membership. He performed a handful of his hits, including “Days Go By,” an acoustic version of “Without You” before Opry members Trace Adkins and Josh Turner and helped to present Keith with his Opry award, a 14-inch replica of the Grand Ole Opry microphone stand with a base made from wood from the Ryman Auditorium.

After Trace officially welcomed him into the family, Keith said “Thank you very much! Yee Haw!” After thanking Pete Fisher, the General Manager of the Opry, as well as other Opry members, his parents who gave him his love of country music, his wife and two daughters and his fans, among others, the superstar said. “I just want to thank the Opry for this honor, but also this responsibility,” says Keith. “I take this responsibility very seriously.” The superstar born in New Zealand and raised in Australia continued, “it’s a long way from Caboolture [Queensland, Australia] to the stage here at the Grand Ole Opry … and to stand in this circle is the most phenomenal thing. I just want to thank the Opry for this honor, but also the responsibility. This is a responsibility that I take deep to the heart of me. …This once and for all shows the global popularity and reach of country music. … I honor the history of country music, but I absolutely fully dedicate myself to the future of country music, as well. God bless you all.” He wrapped it up with “Who Wouldn’t Wanna Be Me.” 

Brad Paisley congratulated Keith by a videotaped message and said it was – among other things – “the greatest thing that’s happened to [the Opry] in a long time.” 

At his All for the Hall benefit concert in Nashville two weeks ago, he was issued the invite to join the Grand Ole Opry by Opry members Vince Gill, Rascal Flatts, Diamond Rio and the Oak Ridge Boys. 

Keith is the first artist from outside North America to become an Opry member. He was born in New Zealand and raised in Australia, and he elaborated on stage Saturday about being a trailblazer who hopes to pave the way for other internationally-born country music singers.

 After the induction Urban added his name plaque to the Member Gallery backstage at the Opry by using a pocketknife given to him by Opry member Marty Stuart. Later during an after show reception, Urban used the same knife to cut the Fender-shaped guitar cake. Urban quipped, “I just got this knife tonight and already I’ve used it to screw in a plaque and cut a cake.” 

The induction aired on the sneak-peek episode of Noteworthy at the Opry on GAC-TV. The show will re-air Wednesday (April 25th) at 9pm ET; and Thursday (April 26th) 1am and 7pm ET. During the TV broadcast, pal John Mayer sent videotaped congratulations to Keith. “I hope you get the sense of what everyone has known for a while, that you are as good as the heroes you look up to, and you are rightfully taking your place with them,” Mayer said. 

Little Big Town tweeted their congratulations to Keith last night: @LBTmusic@KeithUrban your induction into The Opry is much deserved!!! Wish we could have been there to celebrate with you. Congratulations!

To continue the celebration, fans can visit Keith Urban on Facebook and share their favorite moments from his career for a chance to win a Nashville experience including visits to some of the Music City places Urban loves most including the Opry, the Ryman Auditorium, Bluebird Café, a favorite restaurant, and more. 

Keith is currently making his way up the country charts with his latest single, “For You.” 

AUDIO: On Saturday night, Keith Urban tells reporters backstage at the Opry that he owes his success to his fans. 

Keith Urban (Opry fans) OC: …what we do. :33

“Like a lot of artists, I get cards and notes and letters and stories in the meet-and-greets of how the music affects them, how the songs touch something in their life and the stories. They often are sort of saying, ‘You just don’t know how much that means to me.’ And this opportunity for me is a way to say they don’t know how much they mean to me. For all of those things that connect with them, they’re why I do what I do. And the simplest explanation for that is, look how big the stage is compared to how big that area is out there. That’s proportionally how important they are to what we do.” 

AUDIO: On Saturday night, Keith Urban tells reporters backstage at the Grand Ole Opry that he’s having a “surreal” moment before his induction ceremony.

Keith Urban (Opry surreal) OC: …really is. :05

“It’s hard to put into words what this whole moment feels like. It’s quite surreal. It really is.”

AUDIO: Keith Urban says it took him a while to make a name for himself in America.  

Keith Urban (Opry belong) OC: …inspirational for me. :58

“When I first came to town in 1989 and shopped a demo around…looking back, no wonder nobody made it through the first two verses. I was just so out of place, but I didn’t feel like I was, but I got some good support. And a girl named Mary Martin, who worked at RCA at the time, out of all of the people that I met, she’s the only one that sent me a letter. It might have been a stock industry letter, I don’t know, but I love the fact that she sent me one in Australia. I’m paraphrasing it a bit, but she talked about the fact that – and this is in 1989 – she said, ‘I listened to your demo, and I really appreciated your music. She said, ‘Country music is in a particularly traditional swing right now,’ I think was basically, she talked about it being a traditional period in country, and it was. Clint Black was No. 1. And she said, ‘So your music is a little out of step, but I hope you find a home here.’ That was all I needed to hear. It was like, ‘Ok, good. This is the right place, and it’ll take a while.’ That’s kind of what I took from the letter, so it was totally inspirational for me.” 

AUDIO: Keith Urban thanks country radio for their support of his music, and he recalls the first time he heard one of his solo songs on the radio. 

Keith Urban (Opry Thanks to radio) OC: …my car. :21

“I want to thank all you guys at radio first and foremost for supporting what I do. It was actually this little gas station [near the Grand Ole Opry] that’s still there the first time I heard one of my solo songs on American radio was over there. I was coming here for Country Radio Seminar, and I pulled in there early in the morning to put gas in my car, and I heard ‘It’s a Love Thing’ playing over the speakers while I was gassing up my car.”

Keith Urban will become a member of one of the most prestigious institutions in country music – the Grand Ole Opry – on Saturday (April 21st). He couldn’t be more proud to represent the famed organization. “It’s a big moment for me,” says Keith. “I was thinking what it means to me to be inducted into the Opry is probably no more than just a feeling of they know where my heart is…[my] foundation was always country, so to get this induction…this is exactly where my heart is; always has been.” 

If you can’t be there in person to see Keith’s induction for yourself, you can catch it on TV. Noteworthy at the Opry, featuring the entertainer’s induction, will air live Saturday, April 21st at 9pm ET.

In other news, he is hitting the airwaves with his new single, “For You,” and he is donating his proceeds to the Navy SEAL Foundation. For more information, log onto nswfoundation.org.

AUDIO: Keith Urban explains what it means for him to be asked to join the Grand Ole Opry.

Keith Urban (Opry knows his heart) OC: …always has been. :57

“I was thinking what it means to me to be inducted into the Opry is probably no more than just a feeling of they know where my heart is – that’s what it means to me to get this induction. My whole childhood is predominantly immersed in traveling around to country festivals and performing and competing in these talent quests. And you know, I was in this heavy metal band for like two weeks, and I got fired for playing these chicken-picking guitar solos ‘cause it’s a band that plays all this Judas Priest and Whitesnake and everything, but I’m totally immersed in Ricky Skaggs at the time. I bought Highways and Heartaches, and I just discovered Ray Flack and I’m like, ‘This is fantastic.’ And I’m like, [sings guitar picking] every time they throw me a solo, and I got fired from the band. You know, I was 15, and that to me, that sums up what my conundrum was at the time was sort of like, ‘Well, what do I do? What sort of music should I be making?’…And the foundation was always country, so to get this induction…this is exactly where my heart is; always has been.” 

AUDIO: Keith Urban says joining the Grand Ole Opry is going to be a “big moment” for him.

Keith Urban (big moment) OC: …for me. :02

“It’s a big moment for me.”

AUDIO: Keith Urban, who will be inducted into the Grand Ole Opry on Saturday, recalls the first person he met at the Grand Ole Opry — Ricky Skaggs. 

Keith Urban (1^st person met at Opry) OC: …laidback. :25

“Really the first guy that I met out there, when I went out early on, was probably Ricky Skaggs. And ‘cause I was such a Ricky fan, you know. He was just so approachable and easy to talk to, and I was just really such a fan that I kept thinking, ‘Oh my God! I’m talking to Ricky Skaggs. This is so cool,’ you know? But that was the behind-the-scenes vibe at the Opry. It’s just like that. Everybody’s just so approachable and laidback.” 

AUDIO: Keith Urban had no clue that his Opry induction would take place on April 21^st. He said the calendar had him attending a birthday party, which was a complete lie.

Keith Urban (21st plans) OC: …gonna go. :15

“I [didn’t] know anything about it. All I know is that it was a friend of my wife’s birthday on the schedule, which apparently is totally fictitious, but [laughs] that was it. It was Monica’s birthday on the 21^st. So, I didn’t question it. I was just gonna go.” 

CMT TO ANNOUNCE THE ‘2012 CMT MUSIC AWARDS’ NOMINEES LIVE ON THE ‘TODAY’ SHOW ON MONDAY, APRIL 23

Country Superstars Little Big Town to Reveal Nominees During 10:00 AM EDT Hour with Hoda Kotb and Willie Geist

            NASHVILLE – April 19, 2012 – CMT is heading to Rockefeller Plaza with platinum-selling group Little Big Town as they present the nominees for the 2012 CMT MUSIC AWARDS live during the 10 a.m. EDT hour of NBC’s “Today” show Monday, April 23.  The foursome, who will be releasing their brand new single “Pontoon” this month, will sit down with host Hoda Kotb and guest co-host Willie Geist to reveal this year’s nominees in select categories and give their predictions for the night’s big winners.  This is the second year in a row that CMT and NBC have partnered to announce the CMT MUSIC AWARDS nominations.  Voting will begin on CMT.com immediately following this announcement.

            The 2012 CMT MUSIC AWARDS mark the 11^th anniversary of the awards show and will air LIVE from Nashville on Wednesday, June 6th on CMT and CMT.com.  More details to be announced. 

            Fans can get more information as it becomes available on Twitter (@FollowCMT), hashtag #CMTawards, or become a fan of the CMT MUSIC AWARDS on Facebook.　

            Critically acclaimed Grammy-nominated group Little Big Town–consisting of members Karen Fairchild, Phillip Sweet, Kimberly Schlapman and Jimi Westbrook–first entered the music scene over 14 years ago and has since released four studio albums that include hit songs like “Boondocks,” “Bring It On Home,” “Good As Gone” and “Little White Church.”  The foursome recently finished recording their fifth studio album with producer Jay Joyce and is set to release their debut single from the new album, “Pontoon” this month.  The full album is set for release this fall. For more information please visit www.littlebigtown.com. 

The members of Lady Antebellum are excited to announce that they will be hosting the Rebuild Henryville event in Louisville, Kentucky on May 16th to benefit the students and community of Henryville, Indiana.

All the amazing designs have been submitted to Lady A’s poster contest with Talenthouse, and now you can vote for your favorite! The fan favorite design and the grand prize winner will  be announced on May 1st.

The grand prize winning poster will be sold with all proceeds benefiting the Henryville tornado relief efforts. The grand prize winner will receive a $1000 cash prize, along with their design on the poster and t-shirts that will be sold at the event and on Lady A’s website.

Click here to vote for your favorite!

Lady A were so honored, not to mention nervous, performing Lionel Richie‘s chart-topping love song ‘Truly’ during the ACM Presents: Lionel Richie & Friends in Concert. If you missed the broadcast of the show, you can watch it, plus lots of backstage preparations, in today’s webisode!

SOLD-OUT CROWD AT NASHVILLE’S BRIDGESTONE ARENA

WITNESSES LANDMARK CONCERT FEATURING URBAN, COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAME MEMBERS GILL, ALABAMA, MERLE HAGGARD AND DON WILLIAMS, AND THE BAND PERRY, BLUE SKY RIDERS, DIAMOND RIO, LADY ANTEBELLUM, LITTLE BIG TOWN, THE OAK RIDGE BOYS, PISTOL ANNIES, RASCAL FLATTS AND THOMPSON SQUARE  

NASHVILLE, Tenn., April 16, 2012 – According to information released today by the Country Music Hall of Fame^® and Museum, Keith Urban’s April 10 We’re All for the Hall benefit concert raised $465,000, bringing the event’s three-year total to approximately $1.5 million. Nearly 14,000 fans packed Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena to enjoy the one-of-a-kind show. 

“This museum, and country music in general, could not ask for greater ambassadors and caretakers than Vince Gill and Keith Urban,” said Museum Director Kyle Young. “They have such a reverence for this music’s history, and are passionate about its future. The first We’re All for the Hall benefit, in 2009, was a game changer for this museum in terms of both fundraising and awareness, and this year’s show, the third, has again helped take this institution to another level. 

“With this year’s show, and its spotlight on duos and groups,” Young continued, “Keith and Vince put together a concert lineup that showcased the breadth and depth of country music. From Merle Haggard to the Band Perry, last night’s performances were an aural tour of where this art form has been, and where it’s going. I’m proud to say that with Keith and Vince, it couldn’t be in better hands.” 

“The support that All for the Hall has continued to receive truly validates the importance of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum and its place at the epicenter of country music,” said Urban. “To all of the fans that have come out to the shows, the artists that have given so generously of their time and to the commitment of dollars, equipment and products that our corporate partners have given us, I thank you all from the bottom of my heart. We’ll see you again next year.” 

Proceeds from We’re All for the Hall will be invested in the care of the institution’s rare and unduplicated collection, in its vigorous schedule of school and public programs, and in enhancements for its core exhibition.  

We’re All for the Hall 2012 was sponsored by City National Bank, with additional support from SunTrust and Ford Motor Company Fund. Nearly 80 corporate and individual partners, listed below, played a role in the benefit by contributing products, time or funds.

Jon Pardi is hitting the airwaves with his debut single, “Missin’ You Crazy.” We’ve assembled a dry intro with song (3:30); an intro and song with music bed, and just a regular, dry intro to his debut single. Use one, two or all three!