Universal Universal Music Group Nashville Pressroom

Luke Bryan and Dierks Bentley will appear on CBS This Morning, and they’ll perform on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert on Wednesday (March 29th). The pair will talk about hosting this year’s ACM Awards. The 52nd Annual Academy of Country Music Awards will be broadcast live from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas April 2nd at 8pm ET/delayed PT on CBS.

Little Big Town’s Karen Fairchild is featured on Racked.com, talking about her clothing line, her love of fringe and her favorite flea market finds. “I like to call myself a “professional shopper” — it’s kind of my vice. Because the band travels so much, I get to visit all these cool boutiques and check out the local shopping scenes in different cities,” says Karen. “Really, my favorite thing to do on the road is go to flea markets and antique stores; my bandmate Kimberly [Schlapman] and I always go antiquing together. I’ll wind up finding these amazing pieces that have real stories behind them.”

Darius Rucker is the latest country star to get immortalized in wax for the new Madame Tussaud’s Nashville, which is set to open April 14th. “Having my own figure and going through the whole process on this Madame Tussauds journey makes me feel as if I’ve truly made it to the next level as an artist,” said Darius. “I’m super excited for the fans to come and check this out.”

Luke Bryan and Little Big Town, as well as Jason Aldean, will headline the 2017 Pepsi Gulf Coast Jam. The three-day concert event will take place September 1st through September 3rd in Panama City Beach, Florida.

Kip Moore has been announced as one of the performers on the main stage at this year’s iHeart Country Festival in Austin, Texas on May 6th.

Jon Pardi performed his No. 1 hit “Dirt on My Boots” on Good Morning America on Thursday (March 23rd). The ACM New Male Vocalist of the Year also performed the title track from his sophomore album, California Sunrise.

During a Facebook Live video interview with GMA’s Ginger Zee prior to appearing on the show, Jon helped to observe National Puppy Day, while holding a cute pup. The California native was surprised with a plaque celebrating the gold certification for over 500,000 sales of “Dirt on My Boots.”

Darius Rucker teams up with John Mellencamp for CMT Crossroads on Friday (March 24th). Taped in front of a live audience at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on February 24th, the two trade vocals on several of their big hits, including “Wagon Wheel,” “Alright” and Darius’ latest single “If I Told You,” as well as Mellencamp’s “Pink Houses” and “Cherry Bomb.”

It was pretty difficult for Darius not to be just a fan when he was onstage with the legendary performer. “That’s the hard thing for me is to not be out there fanboying the whole time and freaking out that I’m actually on stage with someone like John,” he says. “We were in rehearsals and he’s singing those songs, and I mean, I keep forgetting that I was supposed to sing too, because I just wanted to sit back and listen.”

The new episode airs Friday at 10pm ET on CMT.

The Academy of Country Music® announced today that for the first time Charles Kelley, of multi-platinum trio Lady Antebellum and eleven-time ACM Award winner, will host the ACM Lifting Lives® Golf Classic at TPC Las Vegas on Saturday, April 1, 2017. The “scramble” style golf tournament, being held for the sixth consecutive year at TPC Las Vegas, was initially created to meet the need for a charitable event to connect fans, sponsors and donors with industry insiders and artists. Proceeds from the tournament benefit the ACM Lifting Lives’ Diane Holcomb Emergency Relief Fund, which provides immediate relief to those in need within the music industry.

Established by former Academy of Country Music and ACM Lifting Lives Board Chair Gayle Holcomb, in honor of her mother, the Diane Holcomb Emergency Relief Fund responds quickly to unforeseen, immediate financial needs of music related organizations and individuals. Since its inception in 2007, the Fund has distributed more than $500,000.

“I’ve been able to participate in the ACM Lifting Lives Golf Classic tournament for the past couple of years, so I’m looking forward to stepping back up onto green again this year,” said Kelley. “Getting together with my buddies to play a round in Vegas is always the perfect way to head into the award show, especially when it’s also for a good cause.”

Lady Antebellum will perform at the the 52nd Annual Academy of Country Music Awards, hosted by Luke Bryan and Dierks Bentley, and will be broadcast live from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas April 2nd at 8pm ET/delayed PT on CBS. The trio is nominated for ACM Vocal Group of the Year.

Keith Urban, Sam Hunt and Chris Stapleton have been added to the list of performers for this year’s ACM Awards. They’re joined by Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, Carrie Underwood, Thomas Rhett, Reba McEntire, Cole Swindell, Rascal Flatts and Contemporary Christian singer Lauren Daigle.

Previously announced performers include ACM co-hosts Luke Bryan and Dierks Bentley, as well as Jon Pardi, Brothers Osborne, Lady Antebellum, Little Big Town, Jason Aldean, Kelsea Ballerini, Miranda Lambert, Maren Morris and Florida Georgia Line with the Backstreet Boys.

Additional acts and presenters will be announced in the coming days.

The 52nd Annual Academy of Country Music Awards, hosted by Luke Bryan and Dierks Bentley, will be broadcast live from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas April 2nd at 8pm ET/delayed PT on CBS.

Our talented hosts @LukeBryanOnline and @DierksBentley want you to watch the #ACMs Red Carpet LIVE, 4/2 at 6pm ET/3pm PT on Twitter! pic.twitter.com/QkkkkpxgSZ

— ACM Awards (@ACMawards) March 22, 2017

Keith Urban will appear on the talk show Harry on Wednesday (March 22nd), reuniting with his friend and fellow American Idol judge. [Check local listings]

Jon Pardi will perform his No. 1 hit, “Dirt on My Boots,” on ABC’s Good Morning America on Thursday (March 23rd). The ACM New Male Artist of the Year has dates in Tallahassee, Fort Myers and Las Vegas, before stepping on the stage of this year’s ACM Awards next week to perform and accept his award.

Darius Rucker will appear in Thursday night’s (March 23rd) episode of CMT’s Sun Records, playing singer Johnny Bragg, the leader of the doo-wop group, The Prisonaires, from behind bars at the Tennessee State Prison. Check out the clip of Sun Records below and watch the show Thursday at 10pm ET on CMT.

https://twitter.com/CMT/status/844564345174421504

Darius Rucker teams up with John Mellencamp for CMT Crossroads premiering Friday (March 24th) at 10pm ET on CMT.

The Academy of Country Music® will host the ACM Party for a Cause: Songwriter Showcase on Friday, March 31st at The Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort. Hosted by Storme Warren, the evening will celebrate country music’s most distinguished songwriters, and feature performances by Ross Copperman, Luke Dick, Ashley Gorley, Matthew Jenkins, Luke Laird, Hillary Lindsey, Shane McAnally, Lori McKenna, Josh Osborne with Matthew Ramsey and Trevor Rosen of Old Dominion as well as special appearances by Dierks Bentley, Cam, Brandy Clark, Dean Dillon, and more.

Toby Keith, Alabama and ZZ Top‘s Billy Gibbons have been added to Sing Me Back Home: The Music of Merle Haggard. The all-star concert celebration takes place April 6th at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena.

The Band Perry will perform at the annual St. Jude Rock ‘n’ Roll Nashville Marathon & 1 /2 Marathon Saturday, April 29th. They’ll play Music City’s Ascend amphitheater exclusively for runners and their families and friends.

Sam Hunt will perform as part of the PGA Tour’s annual Military Appreciation Day ceremony on May 9th. Sam will perform on the 17^th hole at the Stadium Court at TPC Sawgrass in Ponete Vedra Beach, Florida on the kickoff day of the Players Championship. “I’m extremely excited to perform for our troops on the famed 17th hole during the Players Championship,” said Sam. “This tournament does so much to support the men and women serving our country. I am grateful to be a part of the festivities and am looking forward to putting on a great show.”

Little Big Town released their new single, “Happy People,” this week. The song was written by Lori McKenna and Hailey Whitters, and LBT’s Karen Fairchild says it’s the ideal song for what’s happening in the world today.

“‘Happy People’ is the perfect sentiment for what’s going on in the world right now and the things that are important to us anyway,” she says. “I hope it brings happiness to people right now in what feels like a very chaotic time.”

The song is the follow-up to their recent No. 1 single, “Better Man,” from their new album, The Breaker.

Little Big Town is nominated for ACM Vocal Group of the  Year and are set to perform on this year’s ACM Awards. The 52nd Annual Academy of Country Music Awards, hosted by Luke Bryan and Dierks Bentley, will be broadcast live from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas April 2nd at 8pm ET/delayed PT on CBS.

Luke Bryan joined his pal Blake Shelton as an advisor during the battle rounds on Monday night’s episode of NBC’s The Voice. The two have clearly missed hanging out with each other. In the video below, they reminisce about meeting each other over 10 years ago.

Same, @LukeBryanOnline. #VoiceBattles pic.twitter.com/ZtSJDjOchC

— The Voice (@NBCTheVoice) March 21, 2017

Good luck on your new career in country music, @LukeBryanOnline! #VoiceBattles pic.twitter.com/zd3RvFKV15

— The Voice (@NBCTheVoice) March 21, 2017

Hey @blakeshelton, looks like you need my help on @NBCTheVoice. #TheVoice pic.twitter.com/13jjltXWW8

— Luke Bryan (@lukebryan) March 20, 2017

Josh Turner hits the top of the Billboard country album chart as Deep South bows at No. 1. The collection, which has been five years in the making, features the title track, as well as his Top 10 single “Hometown Girl.”

Josh says he hopes his fans are excited about the new music. “I…want them to hear the maturity and how I’ve grown as an artist and as a person through this record,” he says. “I want to give them a sense of hope and joy and peace after hearing it. I’m proud of this record, and I’m proud of the packaging and how it all came together. It’s got a youthful, fresh kind of feel to it, but like I say it’s got a maturity to it at the same time. I think it’ll appeal to a lot of different kinds of people.”

Turner wrote five of the 11 tracks on the well-crafted album and he is impressing fans and critics alike. Rolling Stone declares that Turner, with his “river deep baritone,” delivers an “eagerly awaited album from a country purist.” PEOPLE Magazine says the “Nashville veteran flaunts his deep bass” on Deep South and thatthe album is “an ode to down-home staples, from finding that perfect love on ‘Hometown Girl’ to savoring the laid-back life on the title track.”

Josh takes his album to  Austin, Texas on Tuesday (March 21st).

Jon Pardi spends a second week at the top of the Billboard country chart with “Dirt on My Boots.” The song, which was written by Rhett Akins, Jesse Frasure and Ashley Gorley, is from Jon’s sophomore album, California Sunrise.

“I saw my 22-year-old self getting off a tractor and going to take a shower and putting his work boots back on and going and hanging out with a girl and having a good time dancing or something,” says Jon. “I really connected to the lyrics of it.”

Jon won the award for ACM New Male Vocalist of the Year. The 52nd Annual Academy of Country Music Awards, hosted by Luke Bryan and Dierks Bentley, will be broadcast live from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas April 2nd at 8pm ET/delayed PT on CBS.