As we previously mentioned, Darius Rucker and Little Big Town will duet with Lionel Richie on this year’s CMA Awards. For Darius, singing with the legendary performer is a huge deal. “Meeting Lionel for me was huge. I’m a child of the ‘70s. The Commodores and Lionel Richie are in my DNA, I mean it’s just part of who I am. It’s more than music. Those songs are more than, they transcend all that stuff,” he explains. “To sing with Lionel, I could not have asked to be part of anything cooler than that.”

The two will perform Lionel’s 1984 hit, “Stuck on You,” on the CMA Awards. Their duet also appears on Lionel’s upcoming country duets album, Tuskegee, which is scheduled for release early next year.

Also catch Little Big Town singing “Deep River Woman” with Lionel on the show, as well. The 45th Annual CMA Awards will broadcast live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena November 9th beginning at 8pm ET on ABC.

AUDIO: Darius Rucker says the music of Lionel Richie is more than just songs he used to sing along to – it’s part of his DNA.

Darius Rucker (Lionel) OC: …cooler than that. :26

“Meeting Lionel for me was huge. I’m a child of the ‘70s. The Commodores and Lionel Richie are in my DNA, I mean it’s just part of who I am. It’s more than music. Those songs are more than, they transcend all that stuff. They asked me what song I wanted to do, no-brainer – ‘Stuck on You.’ I mean, that’s just the one I wanted to do. And to sing with Lionel, I could not have asked to be part of anything cooler than that.”

Darius Rucker and Little Big Town will duet on this year’s CMA Awards. Not with each other, but with Lionel Richie, who is debuting a few songs from his upcoming country duets album, Tuskegee, which is scheduled for release early next year. Darius joins Lionel for “Stuck on You,” while LBT will sing “Deep River Woman” with the legendary performer.

The 45th Annual CMA Awards will be broadcast live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena November 9th beginning at 8pm ET on ABC.

Keith Urban, Darius Rucker and Little Big Town are among the performers at this year’s CMA Country Christmas special, according to Nashville’s Tennessean. The three will be joined by Rascal Flatts, Brad Paisley, Martina McBride, Faith Hill, Vince Gill, Amy Grant, Kellie Pickler, Scotty McCreery, Lauren Alaina and Sugarland. The ABC television special will tape Thursday, November 11th and is set to air December 1st beginning at 8pm ET.

Lady Antebellum got to see their brand new stage for the first time. It was one of the most exciting moments for the band, but it’s still a secret for the fans! (NO FAIR!) Apparently, there are some amazing “attractions” of the set, but we’ll just have to wait until it’s revealed when they kick off their Own the Night 2011 Tour November 11, 2011 (11/11/11) in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Prior to the tour launch, the superstar band has a handful of dates on the books, including a hometown show in Augusta, Georgia on Friday, as well as an appearance on the 45th Annual CMA Awards, where they are nominated for Vocal Group of the Year. The CMA Awards will be broadcast live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena November 9th beginning at 8pm ET.

Eric Church and his wife, Katherine, became first-time parents earlier this month after (October 3rd) the birth of their son, Boone McCoy. Eric says the name is perfect for his three-week old son, describing him as “hearty-looking, like he could own that name.” The name originated from both family lines. “Ironically, Boone was a family name on my side of the family, going back to Daniel Boone, and I also went to school in Boone, North Carolina, and I’ve always liked the name,” he explains. “That even correlates to the family for me. And then Katherine’s side of the family, she’s related to the McCoys – which I’m not sure is the Hatfields and the McCoys or not; I ain’t asked that question – but she’s related to a whole line of McCoys.” Eric, who is rushing up the country charts with his latest hit, “Drink in My Hand,” says his son will “do good with [the name].”

• Eric has just a few dates on his calendar through the end of the year at the moment, spending time at home with his growing family. One of those dates is next month’s CMA Awards, where he is nominated for New Artist of the Year. He has also been tapped to perform on the show. Catch the 45th Annual CMA Awards November 9th at 8pm ET on ABC.

Eric Church (Boone McCoy name) OC: …good with it. :57

“Ironically, Boone was a family name on my side of the family, going back to Daniel Boone. And I also went to school in Boone, North Carolina, and I’ve always liked the name. That even correlates to the family for me. And then Katherine’s side of the family, she’s related to the McCoys – which I’m not sure is the Hatfields and the McCoys or not; I ain’t asked that question – but she’s related to a whole line of McCoys. We were going through family names and just sitting down one night trying to put our list together. We had a couple of names we liked. I had always liked Boone, so I mentioned Boone, and she loved Boone. And we were kind of looking through it and saw McCoy, and I said, ‘That’s a neat name.’ I’ve seen a lot of McCoys [as] a last name, but I’ve not met a McCoy. I’ve done a lot of meet-and-greets, and I have not met a McCoy as a first name or middle name. So, we were toying with McCoy Boone and Boone McCoy. We went back and forth and back and forth. But we’ve had the name awhile, we just hadn’t told a lot of people. We knew we liked it, [but] we didn’t even tell our parents, and he looks like a Boone McCoy. That was the only thing that I wanted to make sure is that he looked like that name, and he does, you know. He come out hearty-looking, you know, like he could own that name. He’ll do good with it.”

Tickets to Keith Urban‘s We’re All For the Hall event will now go on sale December 2nd, not November 4th, as previously announced. The concert, to benefit the Country Music Hall of Fame, will take place January 18th at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, and will include performances by Vince Gill, Little Big Town, Rascal Flatts, Alison Krauss & Union Station, the Oak Ridge Boys and more. Tickets will be available through Ticketmaster.

Alan Jackson is among the new stars set to be added to the Music City Walk of Fame on Sunday, November 6th. Kix Brooks, famed fashion designer Manuel, gospel music star Dr. Bobby Jones will also be inducted, as well as posthumous honors for electric guitar pioneer Les Paul, gospel singer/songwriter Dottie Rambo and Nashville broadcaster Dan Miller.  The stars will be unveiled during a ceremony at Walk of Fame Park in downtown Nashville. The ceremony starts at 12 p.m. and is free and open to the public.

KEITH URBAN TO DONATE ONE OF A KIND SIGNED FENDER GUITAR FOR AUCTION TO BENEFIT

SUSAN G. KOMEN FOR THE CURE

CMA Entertainer of the Year nominee Keith Urban will donate a one of a kind Fender guitar that will be up for auction beginning today to benefit the Susan G. Komen For the Cure. The guitar, customized for Urban and played during his Get Closer 2011 World Tour, was specially requested as a way to acknowledge National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (October) and will be personally signed to the winner. Bids will be accepted through November 2nd here. Go here to check out a video of Urban playing the guitar during the tour.

National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (N BCAM) has been promoting awareness of breast cancer issues for over twenty five years recognizing that, although many great improvements have been made in breast cancer awareness and treatment, there is still much to accomplish. NBCAM remains dedicated to educating and empowering women to take charge of their health. Susan G. Komen for the Cure is the global leader of the breast cancer movement and the world’s largest grassroots network of breast cancer survivors activists. For more information on breast health and other ways you can support breast cancer education and research, please visit www.komen.org and www.nbcam.org.

For more official Keith Urban auction information go to www.keithurban.net.

As we previously mentioned, Eric Church made a surprise appearance during one of the last stops on Keith Urban’s Get Closer 2011 World Tour in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The two performed “Springsteen” from Eric’s latest album, Chief. While Eric surprised the crowd, he was surprised as well backstage with a plaque presented by Keith commemorating the gold status of his album, Chief. “ I’m a big fan of Keith and a big fan of what he does and the kind of artist he is and the records that he makes,” says Eric. “So, there’s nobody I would’ve rather gotten that record from anywhere than Keith Urban. It meant a lot, and I told him that. I said, ‘It’s real special and it always will be that I got this album’s particular gold certification from you.’ And then to have that done and get that thing in what, 9 or 10 weeks is unbelievable, you know? Unbelievable. It’s been a crazy, crazy few months.”

AUDIO: Eric Church recalls how he and Keith Urban got together in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to perform together, as well as the surprise that awaited him backstage.

Eric Church (perf with Keith) OC: …surprising me. 1:20

“Keith had called me about [it]. He’d been soundchecking with the Chief record some, which I think is a great honor and blew me away when I heard he was doing that and said he loved the record a lot. He said, ‘Man, when you have an off day or you’re not touring and it corresponds in the right way with our tour, I’d love , instead of me out here doing these all the time, I’d love for you to come out and do a song with me off the record.’ I was blown away, and I said, ‘I’d love to.’ So, we found one day that we were both open, I was open and it was in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and I went up there, and he said, ‘Man, let’s do ‘Springsteen.’’ And we walked out, we soundchecked and we did ‘Springsteen.’ His band’s incredible. I was very humbled with how well they knew it, and not only that, but they knew other songs on the record. Had a great soundcheck, and he said, ‘Man, we’ll do it tonight. Look forward to it.’ I went back to the bus, got a shower, got ready for the show. And I got a call, and they said – I got to hang out with Keith a little bit – but they said, ‘Hey, at six o’clock on the dot, you’ve got to be show ready’ – which is two hours before show time – ‘you’ve got to be show ready. We’ve got to do a trade shot. You have to be there, on time’…which I’m never on time. So, I said, ‘Okay.’ So, I got ready, and kind of trying to figure out why we’re doing a trade shot. It’s supposed to be a surprise. And we get to the trade shot and all these cameras are there, and Keith walks in. I’m just gonna do the picture and we’re done, and he starts telling me how much he loves the record, and he said, ‘You know how much a fan I am.’ He said, ‘It’s only fitting for me to give you this,’ and he reaches behind the curtain and he pulls out the gold record, and I was stunned. I had a few choice words for all of ‘em for surprising me.”

AUDIO: Eric Church explains how humbled and blown away he was when Keith Urban presented him a gold plaque for his Chief album.

Eric Church (Chief gold) OC: …few months. :23

“I was just blown away. I’m a big fan of Keith and a big fan of what he does and the kind of artist he is and the records that he makes. So, there’s nobody I would’ve rather gotten that record from anywhere than Keith Urban. It meant a lot, and I told him that. I said, ‘It’s real special and it always will be that I got this album’s particular gold certification from you.’ And then to have that done and get that thing in what, 9 or 10 weeks is unbelievable, you know? Unbelievable. It’s been a crazy, crazy few months.”

Keith Urban, Lady Antebellum and Eric Church are among the early nominees for next year’s People’s Choice Awards.

Keith is nominated for Favorite Male Artist, Country Artist and Favorite Tour Headliner; while Lady A is up for Favorite Country Artist and Favorite Album for Own the Night. Eric Church’s Chief is also up for Favorite Album, as well.

The People’s Choice Awards are the only awards show where fans determine the nominees and winners across categories of music, movies and television. The top five in each category will be announced November 8th, and write-in candidates for the final nominees are accepted, as well.

The People’s Choice Awards 2012 will take place Wednesday, January 11th at 9pm ET/PT on CBS.