Lady Antebellum‘s Own the Night returns to the top of the Billboard Country Album chart this week. The collection sold nearly 37,000 copies to retake the top spot on the country chart and climb to No. 7 overall. The band has already scored two No. 1 songs — “Just a Kiss” and “We Owned the Night” — from the album, and their latest hit, “Dancin’ Away With My Heart,” is inside the Top 10 on the country singles charts.

AUDIO: Lady Antebellum’s Charles Kelley singles out “Dancin’ Away With My Heart” as one of his favorite songs on Own The Night.   

Lady A (Dancin’ Away With My Heart-Charles) OC: …that person. :40 

CK: “That’s probably one of my favorites on the record, for sure. I think that was one too we knew…A lot of times you write songs and you can’t really tell until after a year or so writing which ones you’ll end up narrowing down for a record. But we knew after we wrote that, we were like, ‘This is going to be on the record.’ This is … I hope that’s a single. It’s definitely one of my favorites off the record. We wrote that with Josh Kear, who we wrote ‘Need You Now’ with and my favorite lyric of that is, ‘For me, you’ll always be 18 and beautiful.’ It’s like thinking about back at different people that have had an impression on my life and stuff and relationships and that first dance or whatever it may be, and you wonder what they’re doing. You picture them in your head as that person. So, for you, they’ll always look like that in your head, and they’ll be that person.”

Keith Urban is currently in Australia working as one of four vocal coaches on the nation’s version of America’s hit show, The Voice. When he was initially approached to take part in the show, he turned it down because of the time commitment. But he was able to work with the show’s producers to work it in his schedule. He, along with Seal, Joel Madden and Delta Goodrem, will by vying for his own team of singers he will mentor. He said the first thing that attracted him to the show were the blind auditions. “We live in such a visual age, you know, but we don’t buy videos, we buy records,” says Keith. “So what does it matter what an artist looks like? How about how they sound? How does their voice affect me? And how does that song affect me? I love that this show is the first one that I’ve ever seen that basically go on just the sound of the voice first, and then we run with other things after that.” 

Even though he is Down Under, he made an “appearance” during the annual Country Radio Seminar’s Country DJ Hall of Fame. He videotaped a performance of Glen Campbell’s “Wichita Lineman” honoring the legendary performer, who received the CRB Career Achievement Award. 

Keith is currently enjoying his latest No. 1 hit, “You Gonna Fly,” from his Get Closer album. 

Keith Urban (The Voice) 1 OC: … cool thing. :32

“I think the first and foremost thing I loved about it was the blind auditions. We live in such a visual age, you know, but we don’t buy videos, we buy records. So what does it matter what an artist looks like? How about how they sound? How does their voice affect me? And how does that song affect me? I love that this show is the first one that I’ve ever seen that basically go on just the sound of the voice first, and then we run with other things after that. That really struck me as a cool thing.”

Keith Urban soars into the top spot on both the Mediabase/Country Aircheck and Billboard country charts with his latest hit, “You Gonna Fly.” The song is from his album, Get Closer, which also produced “Put You in a Song” (No. 2) and two other No. 1 hits, “Without You” and “Long Hot Summer.” The tune is one of a few Keith didn’t write, but he fell in love with it the first time he heard it. “I loved it straight away,” recalls Keith. “‘One, two, three, baby, don’t think twice’ – love that. I’m in! There’s just so much about the song that I loved immediately. I like the swagger, that’s…I like the guy in the song, you know?” 

The song, which features background vocals from Little Big Town’s Karen Fairchild and Kimberly Schlapman, as well as Sarah Buxton, took a while to come alive in the recording studio for Keith. “It’s got a sort of a rock sort of riff thing about it, because Jaren Johnston who is one of the co-writers of it and the lead singer of American Bang, and they’re just a straight up rock’n roll band,” says Keith. “And so, this song had that Black Crowes-y thing about it, and it just didn’t feel…right. We’d recorded it fully, and I had sung it a bunch of times, and I wasn’t centered with it, you know? Then it dawned on me that we went straight ahead into that sort of rock world, which, I don’t know, it just didn’t feel authentic for me. And so, I thought, acoustic instrumentation with electrics is really at the core of what I do, so we built the track back up, reprioritizing all those instruments – you know, the mandolin and the 6-string banjo and acoustics, in amongst all the electrics and so on. Musically, the song just fell into place much better for me.”

• If you’re looking for some new music from Keith, check out the soundtrack for the new film, Act of Valor, due in stores Tuesday (February 21st). He wrote and recorded the song, “For You,” for the movie.

AUDIO: Keith Urban talks about his latest No. 1 single, “You Gonna Fly.”

Keith Urban (You Gonna Fly) OC: …song, you know? :17

“‘You Gonna Fly’ is a song I didn’t write. It was brought to me, and I loved it straight away. ‘One, two, three, baby, don’t think twice’ – love that. I’m in! There’s just so much about the song that I loved immediately. I like the swagger, that’s…I like the guy in the song, you know?”

AUDIO: Keith Urban talks about the recording process for his latest No. 1 single, “You Gonna Fly.”

Keith Urban (You Gonna Fly) 2 OC: …on the track. 1:10

“We recorded the song and we dismantled the song, and rebuilt it back up again. It was one of those interesting things where, musically speaking, it’s got a sort of a rock sort of riff thing about it, because Jaren Johnston who is one of the co-writers of it and the lead singer of American Bang, and they’re just a straight up rock’n roll band. And so, this song had that Black Crowesy thing about it, and it just didn’t feel, I don’t know. We got in the studio, and it justt kept, it didn’t feel right. We’d recorded it fully, and I had sung it a bunch of times, and I wasn’t centered with it, you know? Then it dawned on me that we went straight ahead into that sort of rock world, which, I don’t know, it just didn’t feel authentic for me. And so, I thought, acoustic instrumentation with electrics is really at the core of what I do, so we built the track back up, reprioritizing all those instruments – you know, the mandolin and the 6-string banjo and acoustics, in amongst all the electrics and so on. Musically, the song just fell into place much better for me. And I thought the cherry on top was to have Karen [Fairchild] and Kimberly [Schlapman] from Little Big Town and Sarah Buxton come and sing on the track.”

Keith Urban is featured on the soundtrack for the new film, Act of Valor, with a song he wrote titled “For You.” He was a bit nervous about writing for the film, since he had never written for a particular circumstance before, but he was convinced by someone close to him that this was something he should consider. “One of the guys from Relativity [Films] flew down and showed us the film, and I was really moved by the film. And I wanted to write something, [but] I couldn’t think of an angle and a place and so on,” says Keith. “I have to really thank [my wife] Nic for really saying to me, ‘You should do this. You really should. I think you’ll really be able to do this, if you just commit to it.’ And she really kind of gently suggested that I do it.”

Act of Valor is inspired by real life events and stars a group of active-duty Navy SEALs in a powerful story of contemporary global anti-terrorism.

• The soundtrack, which also features Lady Antebellum, Trace Adkins, Sugarland, Jake Owen, Wynonna and many others, is available beginning Tuesday (February 21st). The film opens nationwide Friday (February 24th).

Keith Urban (writing for Act of Valor) OC: …do it. :35

“I’ve never written for a particular thing before, and I was really nervous about it. I was about to do vocal surgery, and I just felt like I can’t do this. But one of the guys from Relativity [Films] flew down and showed us the film, and I was really moved by the film. And I wanted to write something, [but] I couldn’t think of an angle and a place and so on. I have to really thank [my wife] Nic for really saying to me, ‘You should do this. You really should. I think you’ll really be able to do this, if you just commit to it.’ And she really kind of gently suggested that I do it.”

Eric Church’s Blood, Sweat & Beers Tour is blowing everyone away—especially the fans! In fact, after his April 28th show in Bloomington, Illinois sold-out in less than 30-minutes, he decided to add a second show the very next night, which will feature opening acts Colt Ford and Blackberry Smoke. The fan club pre-sale for the April 29th show will begin on Tuesday (February 21st), while tickets will be available to the public on February 24th. 

• Eric has built his career and his live show one fan at a time, and while his early gigs may have topped out at 50 to 100 people, he’s now selling out big arenas on his Blood, Sweat & Beers Tour. He says his current success is due in large part to those early fans. “I wonder what they feel like when they think about the places [we played that] were about empty and they were standing there giving me all they had to turn around now and see all these other people there,” says Eric. “I just think it would just have to be a neat thing for them too, because they were there first, and they were the ones that discovered me, and they were the ones who told other people about it…They’re the reason I’m here.”
• Following his recent No. 1 single with “Drink in My Hand,” Eric has now hit the airwaves with what’s being forecasted as one of the biggest hits of his career, “Springsteen.” 

Eric Church (fans in crowd) OC: …up the hill. :51

“I recognize them in the crowds, and a lot of times, I know their names and talk to them. I mean, we come from…different people have different paths, but we directly came from being up close and personal with our fans, because of the places we’ve played. And I know a lot of ‘em and recognize even more of ‘em, you know, when they’re in the crowd. It’s always neat to see them out there. It’s just fun for me. I wonder what they feel like when they think about the places [we played that] were about empty and they were standing there giving me all they had to turn around now and see all these other people there. I just think it would just have to be a neat thing for them too, because they were there first, and they were the ones that discovered me, and they were the ones who told other people about it. And I think that there’s nothing cooler as a recording artist to have somebody that loves what you do and believes in what you do so much, that they make it their cause and champion it to go out there and push it on other people that maybe don’t know about it. They’re the reason I’m here. They’re the ones that picked up the flag and carried it up the hill.”

Luke Bryan will return to Panama City, Florida to put on his annual Spring Break concert at the Spinnaker Beach Club March 13th and 14th. He’ll perform songs from his Spring Break 4…Suntan City EP, which will be available beginning March 6th. You can catch the music video for “Suntan City” on CMT.com. The other tracks are “Spring Breakup,” “Little Bit Later On” and “Shake the Sand.” “Late February/first of March every year, we put four songs out exclusively on iTunes,” says Luke. “We kind of write ‘em with college kids and Spring Break and that whole party theme in mind.” 

• Luke’s ability to draw huge crowds in the Spring Break mecca caught the attention of the Panama City Convention & Visitors Bureau, who tapped Luke as a spokesperson.
• Luke has partnered with CMT to give away a one-week trip to Panama City Beach, along with tickets and meet & greet passes to one of his shows and a chance to join him onstage. Got to CMT.com to enter.
• Luke’s previous EP releases, which can all be found online at digital retailers, include 2009’s Spring Break…with All My Friends followed in 2010 with Spring Break 2…Hangover Edition and last year’s Spring Break 3…It’s A Shore Thing.
• Following his recent No. 1 single, “I Don’t Want This Night to End,” the Georgia native has hit the airwaves with his latest single, “Drunk on You.” 

AUDIO: Luke Bryan says it gets a little crazy when he’s in Panama City, Florida for his annual Spring Break concerts.  

Luke Bryan (Spinnaker) OC: …down there. :09

“We’ll be down there this year, and it’s fun. You know, we play at Spinnaker – a big, outdoor, beach club down there. It’s a pretty wild time. We enjoy going down there.” 

AUDIO: Luke Bryan enjoys putting together his Spring Break EPs. 

Luke Bryan (Springbreak EP) 2 OC: …from me. :27

“We do a Spring Break EP every year, and we release it around Spring Break. Late February/first of March every year, we put four songs out exclusively on iTunes, and we kind of write ‘em with college kids and Spring Break and that whole party theme in mind. I think it’s fun to put out songs that, you know, just to get some new music out there for fans and more opportunities for them to have different types of music from me.”

NASHVILLE, Tenn  (Feb. 17, 2012)  Country music superstar Alan Jackson will perform his new single, “So You Don’t Have To Love Me Anymore,” on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on Friday, March 30.  The heart wrenching single from his forthcoming album is now available for purchase at all online retail outlets.  The upcoming album is the first from the joint venture between ACR (Alan’s Country Records) and EMI Records Nashville. 

The video for the single, directed by award-winning Steven Goldmann, was shot at Coney Island in New York City and can be viewed at http://vevo.ly/yrfkrc.

Luke Bryan and his band hit the nation’s largest Honky Tonk, Billy Bob’s, for a sold-out show in the latest edition of LBTV 2012!

Darius Rucker helped raise more than $260,000 with his Big Band Showfor the Medical University of South Carolina’s Children’s Hospital.  Darius performed Frank Sinatra classics, along with an orchestra during the 90-minute benefit concert in Charleston on Monday (February 13th) night.

DIERKS BENTLEY SURPRISES MILITARY HERO WITH $50,000 CASH ON THE ELLEN DEGENERES SHOW

Nashville, TN – Feb. 15, 2012 – Multi-Platinum singer/songwriter Dierks Bentley teamed up with The Ellen DeGeneres Show today to surprise a military family with $50,000 to help with their financial struggles.  Sgt. Chad Sparks was actively serving when he lost a finger on duty and was forced to return home to care for his injury. He and his wife have been trying to make ends meet by selling their furniture, appliances and other personal items on Craigslist to help support their one-year-old daughter as Sgt. Sparks faces redeployment to Afghanistan.

Bentley’s current single and anchor title track off his new album HOME has touched fans across the country, sparking many stories of similar gravity. Billboard noted “Bentley has crafted a song that acknowledges the nation’s struggles, yet resonates with hopeful optimism about the future.” The ACM nominated Song of The Year’s relatable message also led Bentley to join forces with Believe in Heroes™, a Wounded Warrior Project™ (WWP) initiative last fall, aiming to support and honor wounded veterans who have sacrificed for our country. For more information and a full list of upcoming appearances, visit www.dierks.com.