Universal Universal Music Group Nashville Pressroom

The Grand Ole Opry^® celebrated Country Cares for St. Jude Kids^® during a special show this evening. Among the performers were Randy Owen of Country Music Hall of Fame group Alabama, four-time Entertainer of the Year Luke Bryan, and Clare Bowen and Charles Esten of the hit series NASHVILLE.

Luke Bryan, Kael and Nashville’s Clare Bowen

Throughout the show, photos and videos of special moments from Country Cares for St. Jude Kids^® were shared during artist performances. St. Jude patient Kael, who is five years old, took the stage as a special guest announcer for the night. After Kael presented Owen with a memento thanking him for 28 years of work with Country Cares for St. Jude Kids,^® the Country Music Hall of Famer returned the favor and surprised him and his brother with their own Opry keepsakes.

The month of September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and supporters are encouraged to help St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital^® in its efforts to end childhood cancer. St. Jude is leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Treatments invented at St. Jude have helped push the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20 percent when the hospital opened in 1962 to more than 80 percent today.

Kael made his @Opry debut tonight and got to meet St. Jude supporters @LukeBryanOnline and @RandyOwenMusic! #CountryCares pic.twitter.com/MGzpqcCSjm

— St. Jude (@StJude) September 14, 2017

About Country Cares for St. Jude Kids
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital^® has been actively involved in radio event fundraising for 27 years, raising national awareness and more than $750 million to help St. Jude with childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Every year, approximately 1,000 country music industry leaders gather in Memphis every January for the Country Cares for St. Jude Kids^® program to support the lifesaving work of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital^®.

Luke is currently making his way up the country charts with “Light It Up,” the first song from his forthcoming, as-yet-untitled album.

Billy Currington follows up his previous No. 1 hits – “Don’t It,” “It Don’t Hurt Like It Used To” and “Do I Make You Wanna” – with the uptempo “Wake Me Up.” All of the songs are from his 2015 album, Summer Forever.

Billy says the song, Written by Josh Osborne, Jimmy Robbins and Ashley Gorley, is about what happens after a break up. “‘Wake Me Up’ is a song about someone who’s definitely just lost his love, and he’s heartbroken – or she’s heartbroken – and he’s basically saying to the partner that he just lost, ‘It don’t matter, it don’t matter when you call me, you can wake me up. Just call me, ‘cause I miss ya. I love ya.’”

The Georgia native is crisscrossing the country on his Stay Up ‘Til the Sun Tour, in addition to working on his next album. Check out his tour dates at his official website, billycurrington.com.

Tuesday Night’s Hand in Hand telethon for Hurricane Relief was a star-studded affair with broadcasts from four cities, including San Antonio, New York, Nashville and Los Angeles. The hour-long special was closed out with a performance by Country Music Hall of Famer George Strait, along with Chris Stapleton, Lyle Lovett, Miranda Lambert and Robert Earl Keen. Strait went on to perform with appearances by his special guests for an additional two hours after the live telecast ended.

SAN ANTONIO, TX – SEPTEMBER 12: (L-R) In this handout photo provided by Hand in Hand, Chris Stapleton, Miranda Lambert, George Strait, Lyle Lovett and Robert Early Keen perform onstage during George Strait’s Hand in Hand Texas benefit concert at the Majestic Theatre on September 12, 2017 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Rick Diamond/Hand in Hand/Getty Images)

SAN ANTONIO, TX – SEPTEMBER 12: In this handout photo provided by Hand in Hand, George Strait performs onstage during George Strait’s Hand in Hand Texas benefit concert; Strait and special guests Miranda Lambert, Chris Stapleton, Lyle Lovett and Robert Early Keen perform in concert at the Majestic Theatre on September 12, 2017 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Rick Diamond/Hand in Hand/Getty Images)

George Strait also revealed they’re selling a special T-shirt with proceeds going to help Hurricane victims. He’s working with the Rebuild Texas Fund, created by the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation and the OneStar Foundation, to rebuild Texas after Hurricane Harvey. All donations will be matched by the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation up to $10 million.

To help victims of the storm, we’re releasing this special tee. All proceeds will benefit the Rebuild Texas Fund. https://t.co/0muSXKAjK7

— George Strait (@GeorgeStrait) September 13, 2017

Additional performers at the Grand Ole Opry House included Darius Rucker with Demi Lovato, Brad Paisley and CeCe Winans, as well as Blake Shelton with Usher.

Wow what a night with these 2 INCREDIBLE singers!!! @ddlovato @cecewinans #HandInHand2017. Where u at @BradPaisley pic.twitter.com/7ih6qtqRHQ

— Darius Rucker (@dariusrucker) September 13, 2017

Luke Bryan, Dierks Bentley, Jon Pardi, Kip Moore and other country stars showed their support by answering phones and taking donations (Luke and Dierks were in Nashville, along with Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, Angie Harmon, Nashville Predators PK Subban, while Kip was in the Big Apple, answering phones near the likes of Julia Roberts, George Clooney and many others.

#handinhand with @subbanator @angieharmon
truly touched by the generous and kind spirits I have talked to tonight. https://t.co/flxxXyaGVM pic.twitter.com/MrgEDRY8of

— Dierks Bentley (@DierksBentley) September 13, 2017

Luke appeared with Amy Grant to ask folks to donate whatever they could. “In too many places for too many people, it’s going to take years for the effects of these storms to pass. So, let’s help these folks,” he said.

https://twitter.com/PKSubban1/status/907798673509281793

I'm ready! Call now: 1-800-258-6000 or text GIVE to 80077 to donate! pic.twitter.com/i1ZNBO7tIO

— Reese Witherspoon (@ReeseW) September 13, 2017

Lines are open. Call us #handinhand pic.twitter.com/YMT4IywJ2a

— Luke Bryan (@lukebryan) September 13, 2017

At the end of the telecast, more than $14 million had been raised in the course of the one-hour show.

The telethon we just did was the most uplifting thing we've ever done. Simply people helping people. There is good in this world.

— Brothers Osborne (@brothersosborne) September 13, 2017

The empowering call of independence found in the title-track of of Lady Antebellum‘s CMA “Album of the Year” nominated and No. One selling album HEART BREAK (Capitol Records Nashville), serves as the new single from the multi-PLATINUM trio. Produced by busbee and written by Dave Haywood, Charles Kelley, Hillary Scott, Jesse Frasure and Nicolle Galyon, “Heart Break” provides “a bedrock for the entire record” (Paste) as “Scott takes satisfaction in feminine independence” (NPR) with “a touch of darkness and a clever play on words,” (Rolling Stone).

“A while ago I had written down the lyrics ‘heart break summer’ with the idea of what its like to detox from relationships for awhile,” said Dave Haywood. “Once we all got in the room together, it really evolved into a these identifiable lyrics that I think anyone can relate too. ”

“Navigating the newly single life with simultaneous confidence and loneliness” (Omaha World-Herald), “Heart Break” has been dubbed a key track off the album by fans and critics, as the Washington Post predicts “with a catchy hook and chorus, fans will be singing along to this in no time.” Its “themes of independence” (CMT) caught the attention of O! Magazine’s Gayle King who vouched, “the title-track is hands down my favorite. It’s not about a ruined romance, but rather putting your heart on pause.”

To listen to “Heart Break,” click here: https://youtu.be/vvnZ1eLHWQs

Last week’s CMA “Album of the Year” and “Vocal Group of the Year” nominations follow more than 18 million units, nine No. One hits, ACM and CMA “Vocal Group of the Year” trophies three years in a row and countless other honors including Billboard Music Awards, People’s Choice Awards and Teen Choice Awards. As Entertainment Weekly and Rolling Stone’s “must-see summer tour” wrapped to a packed hometown crowd at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Saturday (9/9), Lady A will continue on with their YOU LOOK GOOD WORLD TOUR overseas in October. For more information visit www.ladyantebellum.com.

Country music superstar Luke Bryan is coordinating with the Houston area authorities to make tickets available to members of Hurricane Harvey’s first responder teams to attend his Houston, Texas concert next Friday, September 22nd at Cynthia Woods Pavilion. Luke will donate concert proceeds to benefit the Houston Community Fund.

Tonight, Luke will participate in the Hand in Hand: A Benefit for Hurricane Relief Telethon special live from Nashville as part of the celebrity phone bank answering donor calls. The show, that will now benefit Hurricane Harvey and Irma victims, will be broadcast across ABC, CBS, CMT, FOX and NBC from Los Angeles, New York, San Antonio and Nashville at the Grand Ole Opry House at 8:00-9:00pmEST on the East Coast and replay 8:00-9:00pmPST. The show will also be available internationally via live stream on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter starting at 8:00pmEST during the first broadcast and features some of the nation’s biggest stars including George Clooney, Jamie Foxx, Beyoncé, Rob Lowe, Matthew McConaughey, Dennis Quaid, Julia Roberts, Adam Sandler, Ryan Seacrest, Blake Shelton, George Strait, Barbra Streisand, Cole Swindell, Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon and more.

About Luke Bryan

Country music superstar Luke Bryan is a two-time Academy of Country Music and Country Music Association Entertainer of the Year, a five-time host of the ACM Awards and the 2017 Super Bowl LI National anthem performer. He has sold over 10 million albums, 40 million tracks and garnered three Billion music streams. He debuted a new single “Light It Up” last week, which is the first song off a new album due out later this year.

Luke’s concert tours have consistently sold out shows across North America including many NFL Stadiums like the Patriot’s Gillette Stadium, Chicago’s Soldier Field, Cleveland’s First Energy Stadium, the AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Denver’s Sports Authority Field at Mile High, Ford Field in Detroit, home of the Vikings at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh’s Heinz Field, and Levi Stadium in San Francisco. In the last three years, Luke has performed for 5.6 Million fans on tour and is currently touring across the U.S on his “Huntin’, Fishin’ And Lovin’ Every Day Tour” through October.

An audio broadcast of tonight’s (9/12) Hand In Hand Hurricane relief telethon and George Strait‘s Rebuild Texas Fund benefit is being made available for full or partial airing by any and all radio stations through Westwood One. Stations with a Westwood One XDS receiver can access the program, which begins at 8pm ET with the one-hour television special and continues at 9pm ET with the Strait-headlined concert from the Majestic Theater in San Antonio. Miranda Lambert, Chris Stapleton, Lyle Lovett and Robert Earl Keen are also on the bill. For details on obtaining the program, click here or see below:

Westwood One is proud to be the audio broadcast distribution for the Hurricane relief efforts ‘Hand In Hand” and “Rebuild Texas Fund” – tonight, September 12 from 8pm to 11 pm eastern. The first hour of the audio broadcast will be the one hour television special “Hand In Hand” featuring artist and celebrities from all genre of media and music. The last two hours will be the George Strait concert from the Majestic Theater in San Antonio featuring George Strait, Miranda Lambert, Chris Stapleton, Lyle Lovett, and Robert Earl Keen. Any and all stations with a Westwood One XDS receiver will be able to access this program, and may air all or a portion of the broadcast. All Westwood One XDS receivers are authorized for the “Hand In Hand” and “Rebuild Texas Fund” 3 Hour Broadcast. This is a live benefit concert event with no network inventory or local stations breaks provided. XDS INFORMATION TO SCHEDULE THE HAND IN HAND – REBUILD TEXAS BENEFIT: XDS Program Title: Hand in Hand Benefit Program Time: 8pm – 11pm eastern How to add this program to your XDS schedule: – Go to your XDS scheduler at http://myxdsreceiver.cmneng.com – Select the station that will air the program – Open that station’s ‘Program List’ tab and select ‘Hand in Hand Benefit Concert’ – Schedule that program to your station. If there are conflicts with your existing programming, resolve the conflicts by making ‘Hand in Hand’ the Highest Priority program. If you have any questions about scheduling this program, please call our Affiliate Technical Services team at 914-908-3210.

Carrie Underwood returned to Sunday Night Football for a fifth season, looking stunning and sounding great! She performed the theme song “Oh, Sunday Night,” before the Dallas Cowboys took on the New York Giants on Sunday night (September 10th). The song, taken from her 2014 No. 1 hit “Something Bad,” was re-written to include the football references.

NFL players featured in the video include Von Miller, Patrick Peterson, Derek Carr, Antonio Brown, Julio Jones, Jason Pierre-Paul, Dak Prescott, Travis Kelce, Khalil Mack and Dont’a Hightower.

Take us away, @CarrieUnderwood!

Stream #SNF here: https://t.co/d8GXSQiOqN pic.twitter.com/sVXJGfys9t

— Sunday Night Football on NBC (@SNFonNBC) September 11, 2017

Keith Urban’s Ripcord took home the Top Selling Album of the Year trophy at this year’s Canadian Country Music Awards, which were held in Saskatoon, SK on Sunday night (September 10th). The award goes to the highest-selling non-Canadian album. Eric Paslay presented Single of the Year on the televised show.

Luke Bryan, Chris Stapleton and Keith Urban are among this year’s CMT Artists of the Year. What’s special about the CMT Artists of the Year is that the honorees are recognized by their fellow peers through speeches and never-before-seen footage played throughout the evening. One-night only performances also fill the Schermerhorn Symphony Center halls as duets and collaborations take over the stage. Jason Aldean and Florida Georgia Line will also be honored. The 2017 CMT Artists of the Year special will air live from Nashville October 18th at 8pm ET on CMT.

Carrie Underwood and Sam Hunt played an acoustic show for a small group of people at Fontanel, located North of Nashville, according to CMT.com. The two superstars performed as part of the Songs on a Mission fundraising dinner for Mission Lazarus, an organization that assists people around the world. The event raised more than $630,000 for the group’s Honduran orphanage.

Chris Stapleton is scheduled to perform at the all-star A Concert for Charlottesville later this month. Dave Matthews Band will headline the show at UVA Scott Stadium, while Justin Timberlake, Ariana Grande, Pharrell Williams, Cage the Elephant, The Roots and Brittany Howard from Alabama Shakes will also perform. Free tickets will initially go to the residents of Charlottesville, Virginia (the location in which violent white nationalist rallies took place last month) for the show taking place September 24th.

Kacey Musgraves and Mickey Guyton give their thoughts on the legendary Patsy Cline in a new DVD celebrating her remarkable life and music. When Patsy Cline Was…Crazy will be available October 6th. Reba McEntire, Willie Nelson, Bill Anderson, Callie Khouri and many more will also be featured.

On September 11, 2001, the world changed forever with the devastating attacks on both the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.  Alan Jackson’s “Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)” embodied the thoughts and feelings of millions in the wake of the events that took place 16 years ago.

There is audio from country superstar Alan Jackson sharing memories and thoughts on the events of September 11, 2001 and discussing his song, “Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning),” as well as remembrances from Lady Antebellum, Darius Rucker and Eric Church.

The chorus and melody of “Where Were You…” came to Jackson in the middle of the night several weeks after the 9/11 tragedies. He awoke…sang the words into a recorder and wrote down key elements of the chorus…and completed the lyrics and verses later that same day. Initially reluctant to record the song, he was convinced by family and friends to share it with the world and debuted “Where Were You…” live on national television in early November at the 35th annual CMA Awards.