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ALAN JACKSON KEEPS ON KEEPIN’ IT COUNTRY WITH OPENER LAUREN ALAINA.
SAM HUNT IS DOUBLE PLATINUM AND MORE!
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (February 1, 2016) – MCA Nashville breakout star Sam Hunt’s ACM and GRAMMY-nominated debut album Montevallo earns RIAA Double Platinum certification. Montevallo topped the Billboard Country Albums chart in its debut week and remains the best-selling debut album for a country artist since 2011. Following the RIAA news this morning that the organization now takes on-demand audio and video streaming data into consideration, Montevallo leapt from Gold to Double Platinum status.
Helping launch Hunt into the country music forefront, Montevallo has so far produced three consecutive No. 1 Platinum-selling singles with “Leave the Night On,” “House Party” and the double Platinum “Take Your Time,” plus his current Platinum-selling “Break Up In A Small Town.” There will be a fifth radio single off of the impressive debut as “Make You Miss Me,” written by Hunt, Josh Osborne and Matthew Ramsey, ships to country programmers later this month.
Hunt, recently earning his first ever GRAMMY nominations with nods in the all-genre Best New Artist category and in Best Country Album for Montevallo, will be performing on the Feb. 15 broadcast with seven-time GRAMMY winner and fellow nominee Carrie Underwood.
ACM Awards nominations were also revealed this morning with Hunt earning nods in Album of the Year for Montevallo and Single of the Year for “Take Your Time.” Hunt was previously announced as one of this year’s ACM Party For A Cause performers at the annual benefit festival for ACM Lifting Lives leading into the April 3 awards show.
Hunt established a strong presence early in the streaming space ending 2015 with four of the Top 10 streaming country tracks and as the No. 2 top-streaming country artist. He maintains the No. 2 top-streaming position this year and holds the top streaming country tracks for 2016 with his current single, “Break Up In A Small Town” for the 11th week in a row, the mega hit “Take Your Time” at No. 3, and the fun-loving “House Party” ranked at No. 4.
Montevallo, produced by Zach Crowell and Shane McAnally, landed on multiple “Best of…” lists including the Associated Press, Billboard, Country Weekly, Los Angeles Times, NPR, Rolling Stone, SPIN Magazine, Village Voice and The Washington Post, and has spent 56 of the past 57 weeks in the Top 10 on the country album sales chart, with 45 of those weeks in the Top 5 and nine perched at No. 1.
For more information, touring news and updates on Sam Hunt, please visit www.SamHunt.com.
www.SamHunt.com | facebook.com/SamHuntMusic | twitter.com/SamHuntMusic | instagram.com/SamHuntMusic
LUKE BRYAN’S ‘HOME ALONE TONIGHT,’ FEATURING KAREN FAIRCHILD, HITS THE TOP OF THE COUNTRY CHARTS.
Reigning CMA and ACM Entertainer of the Year Luke Bryan has hit No. 1 on both the Billboard and Country Aircheck country singles charts today with “Home Alone Tonight,” featuring Karen Fairchild of Little Big Town, his 15th career No. 1 single. The song also garnered an ACM award nomination this morning in the Vocal Event of the Year category; in addition, Luke received his fourth consecutive Entertainer of the Year nod. Luke will co-host the 51st Academy of Country Music Awards with Dierks Bentley on Sunday, April 3rd live from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on CBS.
“Home Alone Tonight,” written by Jody Stevens, Cole Taylor, Jaida Dreyer and Tommy Cecil, is the third consecutive No. 1 single from Luke’s fifth studio album, Kill The Lights.
On February 18th, Luke will launch his Kill The Lights Tour, performing nearly 70 concerts across the U.S. before wrapping this fall. The tour includes five stadium concerts: July 16 in Boston, MA at Gillette Stadium, August 19, in Minneapolis, MN at U.S. Bank Stadium, August 27 in Chicago, IL at Wrigley Field, October 22 in Dallas, TX at AT&T Stadium, and closing out the tour on October 29 in Detroit, MI at Ford Field. Little Big Town and Dustin Lynch are his special guests on the trek.
Since the debut of his first album in 2007, Luke has placed 15 singles at No. 1 and sold nearly eight million albums with 30 million digital tracks from his five studio albums. He has twice been named Entertainer of the Year by both the Academy of Country Music and the Country Music Association. His fifth studio album, Kill The Lights, debuted at No. 1 on both the Billboard Top 200 (his third to do so) and Top Country Albums charts and closed 2015 with the best-selling country album of the year and the 10th biggest selling album on the all-genre Billboard Top 200 Year-End list. In Luke’s stellar 2015 year, he had three albums on the Top 15 Year-End Country Albums list- Kill the Lights (#1), Spring Break…Checkin’ Out (#10) and Crash My Party (#15), was the most streamed artist of 2015 and placed six songs in the Year-End Top Country Streaming Tracks list. Luke also performed for 1.5 million fans in concert, played for 400,000 fans at Spring Break in Florida, co-hosted the ACM Awards for a third-consecutive year, had his own exhibit at The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum (“Luke Bryan: Dirt Road Diary”), became the reigning ACM and CMA Entertainer of the Year, performed live during halftime at the Dallas Cowboys game on Thanksgiving and wrapped up the year with a live Times Square performance on ABC’s “New Year’s Rockin’ Eve.”
Visit www.LukeBryan.com or follow Luke on Twitter @LukeBryanOnline, Instagram and Facebook.
CHARLES KELLEY SET FOR RELEASE WEEK WITH HIS DEBUT SOLO ALBUM.
Today, Charles also announced THE DRIVER TOUR picked up by Enterprise, will see a spring run of dates with special guest Josh Kelley launching April 9th in Washington, D.C. at The Fillmore. Beginning Friday at www.CharlesKelley.com, fans will receive a download of the new album with every ticket transaction.
Audio / Charles Kelley says he wanted a grittier sound on his solo project.
DownloadCharles Kelley (the project) OC: …accomplish. :52
“One thing when I was going into this project with my producer Paul Worley, we talked about was making sure this did sound different than Lady Antebellum. Of course there’s going to be common threads. I mean, being one of the voices in Lady Antebellum, of course that’s the music I love to make, you know, the sound of our band. You’re always going to have some things that remind you of probably songs that Lady Antebellum has cut, but there’s definitely, I guess, a little grittier of a sound on this record, maybe a little more raw. I think it showcases my voice a little more, of course, because we’re not basically throwing a whole bunch of three-part harmony on it. So, it definitely sounds a little different; a little more bare and naked, I guess, so to speak. But one of the main things I wanted to do was make sure whatever song I sang fit in this really gritty, gravelly spot in my voice, and hopefully, every song, that was what we were trying to accomplish.”
KIP MOORE’S WILD ONES TOUR CONTINUES TO SELL-OUT SHOWS.
CHARLES KELLEY IS EXCITED ABOUT BECOMING A FATHER.
With his wife Cassie about to give birth to the couple’s first child – a boy – Charles Kelley (of Lady Antebellum) says he’s excited about becoming a father and the possibilities that lie ahead for his sweet family.
“I think I’m looking forward to the most just, I don’t know, what kind of parents we’re gonna be. I’m excited,” says Charles. “I just want a healthy baby, first and foremost. I’m just looking forward to seeing kind of how it changes…I’m just so excited to just have a little buddy and somebody I can teach all the things. My dad was such an amazing father to me and always instilled a really strong work ethic, and I want to do the same with him. Looking forward to everything – the good, the bad, all of it.”
Charles is also getting ready for another kind of baby – his first solo album, The Driver. The collection, featuring the Grammy-nominated title track, as well as special appearances by Stevie Nicks and Miranda Lambert, is available February 5th.
Audio / Charles Kelley explains what he’s looking forward to most as a father.
DownloadCharles Kelley (becoming a father) OC: …all of it. :42
“I think I’m looking forward to the most just, I don’t know, what kind of parents we’re gonna be. I’m excited. Cassie and I, we’ve definitely been kind of nesting. We’ve been preparing for this for the longest time. We’ve been married for six years, and we’ve always wanted to have kids, and it finally happened. I just want a healthy baby, first and foremost. I’m just looking forward to seeing kind of how it changes. I’m obviously a little scared. The lack of sleep is scaring me a little bit, but I’m just so excited to just have a little buddy and somebody I can teach all the things. My dad was such an amazing father to me and always instilled a really strong work ethic, and I want to do the same with him. Looking forward to everything – the good, the bad, all of it.”
VINCE GILL WILL CELEBRATE HIS 25TH ANNIVERSARY AS A GRAND OLE OPRY MEMBER THIS YEAR.
Gill will release his 18th album, Down To My Last Bad Habit, on February 12th on MCA Records Nashville. Beginning today, Opry fans can purchase autographed copies of the CD along with tickets to Gill’s 25th Opry anniversary show at opry.com.
Gill is also scheduled to reunite with Lyle Lovett on February 17th for their 13-city “Songs and Stories” Tour. For a complete list of tour dates and more information go to
www.VinceGill.com.“We’re excited both about Vince’s recording coming out next month and about celebrating his entire Opry career to date later this year,” said Opry Vice President and General Manager Pete Fisher. “We’ve had a preview of some of Vince’s new music at the Opry over the past few months, and it has been a reminder of why he has been an award-winning artist and a favorite of fans and fellow artists alike for more than a quarter century.”
Combining unequaled musicianship and creativity with a strong sense of tradition — and a personality that has won him a reputation as one of the nicest people in country music — Vince Gill is one of the most honored artists in the music’s history, and one of the youngest to earn membership in the Country Music Hall of Fame.
A talented guitar picker by the time he was in his teens, Vince began his career playing with bluegrass bands — first in his native Oklahoma, then in Kentucky with the Bluegrass Alliance and, briefly, Ricky Skaggs’ Boone Creek. Moving to Los Angeles, he signed on with fiddler Byron Berline’s Sundance before joining the pop-country-rock Pure Prairie League. He followed that with a stint in the Cherry Bombs with Rodney Crowell and work backing Rosanne Cash. In 1984, he moved to Nashville and signed his first recording contract as a solo artist, occupying himself with work as a sideman in studios and onstage.
Though several of his songs flirted with Top 10 status, Vince’s real breakthrough came in 1990 when “When I Call Your Name” reached No. 2. For the next decade, he was a steady presence in the Top 10, racking up several dozen hits that ranged from soulful country ballads (“I Still Believe in You,” “Tryin’ to Get Over You”) to feel-good country rockers (“Liza Jane” and “What the Cowgirls Do”).
Rewarded by his peers with a long list of Country Music Association awards and Grammy trophies (the most for a male country artist), he’s sold more than 26 million albums while being hailed as a soulful singer, innovative instrumentalist, and creative force who showed a strong grasp of country traditions from bluegrass to honky tonk.
In more recent years, Vince has settled into a unique role as one of country music’s youngest “elder statesmen.” An eloquent spokesman for the Grand Ole Opry and for the Country Music Foundation, he has headed all-star casts at prestigious venues around the country, hosted the CMA Awards for multiple years, made guest appearances onstage and on recordings with artists ranging from the world-famous to the obscure, and toured extensively.
DIERKS BENTLEY WILL ANNOUNCE THE NOMINEES IN SELECT CATEGORIES FOR THIS YEAR’S ACM AWARDS.
Dierks Bentley is set to reveal the nominees in six categories for this year’s ACM Awards Monday (February 1st) on CBS This Morning during the 8am hour. He’ll announce nominees for Entertainer, Male Vocalist, Female Vocalist, Vocal Duo, Vocal Group and Album of the Year. Nancy O’Dell will announce the rest of the nominees immediately following on ETOnline.com.
Dierks and Luke Bryan will co-host the 51st Academy of Country Music Awards, which will broadcast live from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas April 3rd at 8pm ET/delayed PT on CBS.
SAM HUNT IS A BIG PEYTON MANNING FAN.
Many of your favorite country stars will be watching Super Bowl 50 to see the match up between veteran quarterback Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos take on the most likely NFL MVP Cam Newton and his Carolina Panthers. Sam Hunt, a former University of Alabama Birmingham quarterback, will be among those, and the main thing for him will be just “to see a good game.” That being said, the Georgia native will most likely be pulling for Peyton, even though one of his friends plays for the Panthers.
“I’m a big Peyton Manning fan, and I always have been,” says Sam. “But I have a good friend that I played ball with in college; he’s playing with the Panthers, and their season’s been unbelievable. Just to watch the energy of that team grow throughout the year made it hard not to pull for ‘em, but I guess when it comes down to it, I’m gonna have to go with Peyton, because it could be his last go at it. He deserves it more than anybody. He’s one of the best that’s ever played.”
Sam does have a personal connection to the future NFL Hall of Famer. “When I was in high school, I went to a camp called the Manning Academy, and it’s a quarterback camp down in Louisiana. And I got to spend some time with Peyton and Eli, and they have another brother [Cooper]. I’ve followed [Peyton’s] career for a long time,” he says. “Actually, a couple of years ago, I was at a concert of Kenny Chesney’s in Denver, and I was standing there side stage and Jake Owen was there. He had opened up for [Kenny], and I’ve been a friend of his for a little while, and he turned and introduced me to the guy behind us, who I wasn’t aware of at the time, but it turned out to be Peyton Manning. He was just a really nice guy, and it was just pretty cool to be on the stage with two people who inspired me in two different arenas, with Peyton with football and Kenny with music.”
Sam, who is nominated for a pair of Grammy Awards, is currently nearing the top of the country charts with “Break Up in a Small Town,” the fourth single from his album, Montevallo.
Audio / While one of Sam Hunt’s good friends plays for the Carolina Panthers, the former college quarterback says he’ll be pulling for Peyton Manning, the Denver Broncos QB, in the Super Bowl (the Big Game).
DownloadSam Hunt (Super Bowl 2016) OC: …ever played. :33
“First off, I’d like to see a really good game. I’m a big Peyton Manning fan, and I always have been. But I have a good friend that I played ball with in college; he’s playing with the Panthers, and their season’s been unbelievable. Just to watch the energy of that team grow throughout the year made it hard not to pull for ‘em, but I guess when it comes down to it, I’m gonna have to go with Peyton, because it could be his last go at it. He deserves it more than anybody. He’s one of the best that’s ever played.”
Audio / Sam Hunt recalls meeting Denver Broncos’ quarterback, Peyton Manning.
DownloadSam Hunt (Peyton Manning) OC: …with music. :39
“When I was in high school, I went to a camp called the Manning Academy, and it’s a quarterback camp down in Louisiana. And I got to spend some time with Peyton and Eli, and they have another brother [Cooper]. I’ve followed [Peyton’s] career for a long time. Actually, a couple of years ago, I was at a concert of Kenny Chesney’s in Denver, and I was standing there side stage and Jake Owen was there. He had opened up for [Kenny], and I’ve been a friend of his for a little while, and he turned and introduced me to the guy behind us, who I wasn’t aware of at the time, but it turned out to be Peyton Manning. He was just a really nice guy, and it was just pretty cool to be on the stage with two people who inspired me in two different arenas, with Peyton with football and Kenny with music.”
ERIC PASLAY TREATS CROWD TO A FIRST LISTEN OF NEW MUSIC.
Grammy nominee and EMI Records Nashville artist Eric Paslay performed to a sold-out standing room only crowd tonight at Marathon Music Works in Nashville. Eric entertained the fans and music industry guests with an energetic performance and debuted some new music from his upcoming sophomore album due out later this year.
“It’s so fun getting to play new songs for all the friendly faces I see tonight,” shared Eric. “Thank y’all for letting us be dreamers.”
During his set, preceded by label mate Mickey Guyton, Eric welcomed Jake Owen to perform “Barefoot Blue Jean Night” sharing he was grateful for Jake’s guts to be his first artist cut. And later in the evening Eric performed “Taking My Heartbeat Higher” with Karen Fairchild of Little Big Town with whom he has collaborated. Eric Paslay, delivers a powerful punch as a renowned, Platinum-selling, hit songwriter and dynamic performer.
Paslay has celebrated five No. 1 hits including “Even If It Breaks Your Heart” (Eli Young Band), “Barefoot Blue Jean Night” (Jake Owen), “Angel Eyes” (Love & Theft), “Rewind” (Rascal Flatts) and “Friday Night,” the smash lead single from his critically acclaimed self-titled debut album. The Temple, Texas native recently received his second GRAMMY nomination (first as a recording artist) in the Best Country Duo/Group category for “The Driver,” performed by Lady Antebellum’s Charles Kelley, featuring Eric and Dierks Bentley. A true artist’s artist, USA Today calls Paslay “flat out-brilliant” and American Songwriter names him an influencer of country music. Paslay recently wrapped the Chris Young tour and takes the stage on tour with Brad Paisley this winter. He just released his back beat-driven groove “High Class,” the lead single from his highly-anticipated sophomore album due out later this year.
For the latest information on Eric go to:
https://twitter.com/ericpaslay