Universal Universal Music Group Nashville Pressroom

The video for Jon Pardi‘s latest hit, “Night Shift,” will premiere on ESPN Thursday night (October 11th) during the sports network’s coverage of the college football match-up between Texas Tech and Texas Christian University (7:30pm ET). It will also debut on ESPN Front Row.

#NightShift video premieres tomorrow on @ESPN! https://t.co/DBsi3HmOag

— Jon Pardi (@JonPardi) October 10, 2018

“Night Shift” is from Jon’s gold-certified album, California Sunrise, which has produced three No. 1 hits. Jon continues on the Luke Bryan What Makes You Country Tour in Portland, Oregon on Thursday (October 11th), followed by shows in Seattle and Vancouver this weekend.

Luke Bryan is featured in Jimmy Kimmel’s Mean Tweets — Music Edition 5.  It’s not the worst comment in the series, but it’s not nice either.

@Reginald tweets “People say I should be more positive. Ok. I’m positive that Luke Bryan is a horse-toothed, d**kless, air-humping doofus.”

Also featured are Miley Cyrus, Gwen Stefani, Jason DeRulo Nickelback, P!nk, Luke Combs, Imagine Dragons, Halsey, Korn and several other artists.

Following overwhelming success of 18 “Strait to Vegas” shows with two more approaching this December, the superstar known worldwide as The King of Country, George Strait, will return to T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas with special guest Ashley McBryde for two shows on February 1 and 2, 2019. Tickets go on sale Friday, Oct. 19 at 10 am local time via www.StraitToVegas.com.

With an unmatched 60 singles hitting the top of the charts – more than any other artist in any genre – during the span of his 30-year career, Strait is the undeniable “King of Country Music.” He has collected 33 Platinum or multi-Platinum-selling albums, more than any country artist and third across all genres behind only The Beatles and Elvis Presley. Strait is the only act in history to have a Top 10 hit every year for over three decades and has sold nearly 70 million albums and earned more than 60 major entertainment industry awards, including induction in the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2006.

Warner Music Nashville’s Ashley McBryde is set to open for Strait on both nights. Her debut major-label album titled Girl Going Nowhere earned the highest debut by a solo country artist in 2018. Currently, McBryde is on the road embarking on her headlining Girl Going Nowhere Tour.

The “Strait to Vegas” series began with six shows in 2016 and extended with 10 more in 2017. In 2018, Strait headlined Bayou Country Superfest to a sold-out Mercedes Benz Superdome crowd in New Orleans, Louisiana, two nights in Tulsa, Oklahoma and one night in Austin, Texas. The icon will play his final shows of 2018 this December 7 and 8 in Las Vegas at T-Mobile Arena.

Ticketing information is available at www.StraittoVegas.com

Carrie Underwood took control of the stage at the American Music Awards this week to perform a stark and emotional performance of “Spinning Bottles,” which she co-wrote with Hillary Lindsey and David Garcia for her new album, Cry Pretty.

The superstar also picked up the award for Favorite Female Country Artist (her 13^th AMA). She directed the majority of her acceptance speech to her fans. “Oh my goodness. Thank you, God, first and foremost. I have an incredible team of people that make my universe go ‘round, so thank you so much. But tonight is all about the fans. Thank you so much. You have shown so much love and support for me for the past few months of my life — well my whole career, honestly — but especially these past few months. I feel it…You guys mean the world to all of us. Just thank you so much.”

She continued to thank everyone later in the evening on Instagram. “Such a wonderful night! I am honored and humbled by the love I received from you all tonight. I made absolutely no sense in my speech and didn’t say half of what I should’ve, but I want you all to know that your support means everything to me! Also, I am beyond honored to be in the company of such talented ladies like @marenmorris and @kelseaballerini to represent the women of Country Music tonight. That said, I’m off to peel this dress off and cuddle up to my little man! I shall go to bed with a full and happy heart! And, of course, thank you #AMAs for having me and for letting the fans call the shots!”

https://www.instagram.com/p/BovMTo2lK61/

Carrie is currently making her way up the country charts with her latest song, “Love Wins” from her No. 1 album, Cry Pretty.

After four consecutive sold-out years, four-time Entertainer of the Year Luke Bryan, along with CID Presents, adds first wave of 2019 performers — Thomas Rhett, Dustin Lynch and Lauren Alaina — to Crash My Playa – 5^th Year Fiesta set for January 23-26, 2019 in Riviera Maya, Mexico.

Multi-platinum selling artist Thomas Rhett will make his first appearance at the destination event headlining one of the four nightly concerts. The Caribbean beach vacation will be the best yet with the return of Platinum-selling and newly inducted Grand Ole Opry member Dustin Lynch who has played all four previous years. Multi-award winning singer-songwriter and 2018 CMA New Artist of the Year nominee Lauren Alaina will also make her Crash My Playa debut performing as part of the all-star weekend.

“So excited to have Thomas Rhett and Lauren join us for the first time at Playa,” says Luke.  “I can’t even imagine doing these shows without Dustin a part of it. This makes 5 for 5!”

“I’m pumped to get down to the beach in January to hang out with Luke and play at ‘Crash My Playa’,” said Thomas Rhett. “It’s going to be a blast.”

Dustin shared, “Getting to kick off the last four years at ‘Crash My Playa’ has been amazing. I’ve made so many friends and memories and look forward to going 5 for 5 with my big bro Luke!”

“I love the beach, Luke Bryan, Thomas Rhett, and Dustin Lynch,” said, Lauren. “I have a feeling this will be a trip to remember, or at least try really hard to remember. Ha! Those boys are crazy. I’m so excited and honored to be a part of it.”

The event’s host resort, the Barceló Maya, is sold-out with limited packages remaining at one of four other carefully selected tropical resorts. At all locations fans will enjoy royal treatment all weekend long including all-inclusive food and drink, 24-hour concierge service, convenient nightly shuttle transportation to the main stage performances,  daily onsite activities, offsite adventures like visiting Chichen Itza, zip-lining, and ATV tours, excursions including day trips to Tulum, official Crash My Playa – 5^th Year Fiesta merchandise packages, and more. To see highlights from last year’s event go HERE.

For more information about Crash My Playa – 5^th Year Fiesta 2019, how to book four or five night all-inclusive packages and payment plan details, please visit: www.crashmyplaya.com.

Click HERE for Luke’s Crash My Playa playlist.

TheGrand Ole Opry_®, in association with the Ray Charles Foundation, celebrated the songs of Ray Charles and the influence this revolutionary artist had on country music, on a special Monday night Opry, An Opry Salute to Ray Charles. 
 
The event was taped for a TV special that will premiere in February 2019 on public television stations nationwide.

Darius Rucker hosted the event, which united two iconic entities with unique collaborations and special performances of Charles’ music, performed by a star-studded lineup including Boyz II Men, Cam, Brett Eldredge, Leela James, Jessie Key, Ronnie Milsap, Lukas Nelson, LeAnn Rimes, Allen Stone, Travis Tritt, Charlie Wilson, and Chris Young. Additionally, Trisha Yearwood contributed a memorable rendition of “You Don’t Know Me” that was taped for inclusion in the television special.

During his formative years in Georgia and Florida, Ray Charles listened regularly to the Grand Ole Opry, beaming throughout the South via Nashville’s WSM-AM. Charles blended the blues and gospel into his original brand of R&B, played jazz, and recorded two volumes of the influential album Modern Sounds in Country & Western Music. The musical span of the artists featured on “An Opry Salute to Ray Charles” reflects the legendary artist’s ability to find the common ground in disparate styles of music and present them with a singular voice.

Host Darius Rucker addressed the packed audience at the beginning of the show stating, “As a Grand Ole Opry member I am moved to see the Opry recognize Ray and the magnitude of his contribution to country music. Both the Grand Ole Opry and Ray shared the same vision – to bridge musical genres.”

The diverse list of artists who performed in tribute to Ray Charles with memorable covers and collaborations that will be seen on the television special include:

• Boyz II Men and Chris Young opened the show with a special collaboration of “Your Love So Doggone Good” from the 1970 Ray Charles album Love Country Style
• Travis Tritt revisited “I Am Moving On” which he originally performed with Ray Charles
• Brett Eldredge moved the crowd with “That Lucky Old Sun”
• LeAnn Rimes dazzled with her performance of “Fever”
• Charlie Wilson rocked the house with “Unchain My Heart”
• In between hosting duties, Darius Rucker performed “Don’t Change On Me”
• Boyz II Men performed a stirring rendition of Ray Charles’ legendary hit “Georgia On My Mind” receiving a standing ovation from the packed crowd
• Ronnie Milsap and Jessie Key joined forces on “You Are my Sunshine”
• Leela James and Cam performed an energetic “Don’t Tell Me Your Troubles”
• Lukas Nelson honored his dad, Willie Nelson, and Ray Charles with his version of their duet “Seven Spanish Angels”
• Chris Young captivated the audience with Ray’s mega-hit “I Can’t Stop Loving You”
• Allen Stone and Cam created a unique version of “Here We Go Again”
• Charlie Wilson and LeAnn Rimes delivered a stunning collaboration of “Crying Time”
• A powerful all-star collaboration of “America The Beautiful” performed by all of the artists closed out the show with an uplifting message of unity

After sharing a long-time friendship and touring history, current CMA nominated act Lady Antebellum and multi-Platinum selling artist Darius Rucker wrapped their co-headlining Summer Plays On Tour this past weekend on the East Coast. Throughout the summer run, the superstars dubbed “two of Country music’s most upbeat and crowd-pleasing artists” by the Tampa Bay Times brought “the best of both worlds” according to the Indianapolis Star, while delivering what The Oakland Press referred to as “a jukebox worth of hits.” Both acts, along with opener Russell Dickerson, offered unique and spontaneous collaborations and were lauded by PEOPLE for their “action-packed sets” each night as a dollar from every ticket sold was donated to LadyAid and Just Be You art therapy.

“Spending this summer with Darius has made for one of the most memorable tours we have had as a band,” said Dave Haywood. “There were nights the fans were so loud we couldn’t hear each other, and that’s a reaction you just don’t get unless everyone is having a blast. We can’t thank everyone enough for coming out and Russell for getting us started every night.”

“It’s hard to believe this summer is already over,” shares Rucker. “We’ve been one big family on the road this year, and I think that came across on stage every single night. Of all the years we’ve hit the road, this one was special. I want to thank the fans as we had so much fun on stage because they really brought so much energy and excitement every single night. For me, that’s what summer is all about: music, family, friends and sharing something special that we’ll remember forever.”

With “plenty of energy and vigor” as recognized by the Phoenix News Times, Rucker and Lady A were praised by the Cleveland Plain Dealer as “one of the biggest mainstream country pairings of the summer.”

The St. Louis Dispatch remarked that “if a music show is made of moments, the night had one that fans probably still are talking about,” while the OC Register raved that the tour was “a true co-headlining run with both acts playing equal time and popping into each other’s sets randomly throughout.” As the Milwaukee Jouurnal Sentinel explained, “the star power was especially strong at the end, when Rucker and Lady A appeared together for a three-song, 20-minute encore.”

Current three-time CMA nominee Dierks Bentley unveils the official music video for his Top 20 single “Burning Man” (featuring Brothers Osborne) today with Esquire. Longtime director and collaborator Wes Edwards intertwines Bentley’s musical and personal evolution with California’s Salton Sea as the backdrop.

“This song is a personal reflection and it was important to me that you feel that with the video,” said Bentley. “The Bros and I flew out to the desert in July to shoot this…several people on the crew had heat strokes, two cars got stuck in the sand and we had to have a rattlesnake wrangler with us at all times…but we got the shots!”

To watch the “scorching” (Esquire) video for “Burning Man” featuring Brothers Osborne, click here: https://bit.ly/2y99aCp

Fusing propulsive beats with booming vocals and guitars to describing a restless spirit with his feet firmly on the ground, the earthy cinematography behind the “Burning Man” music video features Bentley and Brothers Osborne across rugged terrains, giving a “rousing ode to middle-aged duality” (Paste). Nominated for CMA “Musical Event of the Year” along with his CMA nods for “Album” and “Male Vocalist,” Bentley’s latest single proves why he is “one of the format’s leading, male hit-makers” (NPR) who manifests “authenticity in every component” (PEOPLE).

“A driving rocker about the aimlessness and imperfections of being human.” – Rolling Stone

“The harmony the three men created during the song  – emphasized the dichotomy so many men face.” – CMT

Reaching a new creative high, he co-wrote 10 of THE MOUNTAIN’s (Capitol Records Nashville) 13 tracks, which earned him the highest debut sales  of his career and became his seventh chart-topping album. Bentley has amassed billions of digital streams, countless nominations from the  ACMs, Billboard Music Awards and more while earning 13  GRAMMY  nominations – including at least one stemming from each of his last six albums. After hosting capacity crowds throughout the summer during his 2018 MOUNTAIN HIGH TOUR where “expectations were instantly met and exceeded” (Arizona Republic) Bentley will wrap the run this weekend with stops in San Diego, CA (10/12) before Los Angeles, CA’s Hollywood Bowl (10/13). For more information visit www.Dierks.com.

Eric Church released his new album, Desperate Man, on Friday (October 5th), and while he felt the need to make an album, he didn’t want to rush the process.

“Everyone approached this initially as we need to make an album. We have to make a record, and I don’t believe you can ever make a record when you walk in going, ‘I have to make a record.’ I don’t think it works that way. Ever. Historically,” says Eric. “I think you just have to get in there, you have to tune your guitar and play nothing for three days. You gotta vibe it. You gotta feel it. And I think one that we don’t do very well these days is we don’t just let it happen. We don’t let the creativity happen. And I think for this album, Mr. Misunderstood and this one in our entire career, have been the most creative albums. We just let it happen. We walked in with less of plan than we have in the past, and we let the plan develop.”

Eric will kick off his new Double Down Tour January 18th and 19th in Omaha, Nebraska.