• Jordan Davis Tucson Too Late
  • Tyler Hubbard Back Then Right Now
  • Anne Wilson Rain in the Rearview
  • Chris Stapleton Think I'm In Love With You
  • Priscilla Block Good On You
  • Keith Urban Messed Up As Me
  • Brothers Osborne Break Mine
  • Chris Stapleton Think I'm In Love With You
  • Darius Rucker Never Been Over

News

NEWS AND NOTES: Luke, Darius, Dierks, Toby, Canaan

Luke Bryan postponed his Thursday night Farm Tour stop in Lexington, Kentucky and Saturday night’s show in Columbia, South Carolina due to weather. The Lexington show will now take place Tuesday (October 6th), while Columbia’s stop has been rescheduled for October 11th. Luke posted a statement on Twitter, saying, “Postponing a show is so difficult for me because I know it is an inconvenience to the people that make my life amazing. The fans. Very sorry!” For more details, go to LukeBryan.com.

UPDATE: Luke has now canceled Friday night’s Farm Tour date in Knoxville. It has yet to be scheduled as of 1:50p CT.

Darius Rucker will appear in The Grand Ole Opry’s first feature film, American Saturday Night: Live From The Grand Ole Opry. The movie will hit select U.S. Carmike Cinemas for a limited engagement beginning December 4th. The concert film will also feature performances by Opry members Brad Paisley and Blake Shelton, as well as The Band Perry and Brett Eldredge.

Dierks Bentley celebrated his 10th anniversary of being a member of the Grand Ole Opry this week, and he brought along a special guest: his dog Jake, who was also on hand when he became a member of the famed institution.

Toby Keith is set to perform on the new TBS series Neighborhood Sessions October 16th. The show was recorded in Toby’s hometown of Moore, Oklahoma, and will feature several of his hits, along with some songs from his new album, 35 mph Town, available October 9th.

Canaan Smith‘s ‘American Muscle’ will be used for ESPN’s College GameDay this season. You can also find the song on his debut album, Bronco.

LUKE BRYAN HITS THE HOOPS WITH PRO BASKETBALL PLAYER JIMMY BUTLER.

Luke Bryan takes on the Chicago Bulls’ Jimmy Butler in a basketball game. Guess who wins? Check out the latest episode of LBTV below.

Video / LBTV Luke takes on Jimmy Butler

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GEORGE STRAIT’S ‘COLD BEER CONVERSATION’ IS A PERFECT FIT.

George Strait’s Cold Beer Conversation has a very cool and descriptive title, which hit the Texas native right away, so he decided to call this new collection…Cold Beer Conversation after one of the songs on his brand new album.

“What a perfect title. I never go in to the studio with a title in mind. I always complete the project and then go ‘What am I gonna call this?’ Because you kinda gotta get a feel for that. So, I’m trying to think of something that really says what this album’s about, and it just jumped out at me. ‘Cold Beer Conversations,’” says George. “How many cold beer conversations have you had? That song was perfect for me — about life or about politics or just different things that come up when you’re having a cold beer with one or your buddies or several. I just love the title, I think it fits perfectly.”

George announces the new CD in Las Vegas just a couple of days prior to its release last week, and he also revealed a few shows at the new Las Vegas Arena in 2016. The superstar will play Sin City December 2nd and 3rd, 2016, as well as April 22nd and 23rd and September 9th and 10th, 2016. He’ll be one of the first entertainers to perform at the Las Vegas Arena.

Audio / George Strait talks about the title of his new album, Cold Beer Conversation.

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George Strait (CBC title) OC: …perfectly. :45
“What a perfect title. I never go in to the studio with a title in mind. I always complete the project and then go ‘What am I gonna call this?’ because you kinda gotta get a feel for that. So I’m trying to think of something that really says what this album’s about, and it just jumped out at me. ‘Cold Beer Conversations.’ How many cold beer conversations have you had? That song was perfect for me — about life or about politics or just different things that come up when you’re having a cold beer with one or your buddies or several. I just love the title, I think it fits perfectly.”

Video / George Strait on title of Cold Beer Conversation

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LUKE BRYAN RETURNS TO THE COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAME FOR A SPECIAL APPEARANCE.

NASHVILLE, Tenn., – October 1, 2015 – The Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum will host a special appearance by Luke Bryan on Sunday, November 1st, at 2 p.m., in the museum’s  CMA Theater. The reigning ACM and CMA Entertainer of the Year will discuss his career and perform a short acoustic set in support of the exhibition Luke Bryan: Dirt Road Diary, presented by Citi. The panel will be hosted by Joseph Hudak, Senior Editor at Rolling Stone Country.

The program is included with museum admission and free to museum members. Seating is limited; museum members may reserve via TicketFly.com beginning at 10 a.m. on October 8. Bryan is offering access to pre-sale tickets for his Nuthouse members only, October 8-14. Fans can sign up here to become a member. The general public will be able to reserve tickets beginning at 10 a.m. on October 10. For assistance with reservations, please call 615-416-2001 or email reservations@countrymusichalloffame.org.
Luke Bryan: Dirt Road Diary, which ends its run on November 8th, examines the singer-songwriter’s roots and rise to stardom.

Artifacts on display include:

Little League baseball uniform and glove

Second grade school backpack and denim jacket

First guitar, which his parents gave him when he was fourteen

A script from his high school production of Annie Get Your Gun, in which Luke starred

Handwritten lyrics to his 2014 chart-topping single “I See You”

Stage props from his spring break concerts

Tour posters

Stage clothes worn by Bryan at concerts and award shows

Music awards, including trophies for his ACM and CMA Entertainer of the Year wins

Bow and arrows used by Bryan on the Outdoor Channel reality series Buck Commander: Protected by Under Armour.
Since the debut of his first album in 2007, Luke Bryan has placed 13 singles at #1 and sold nearly 8 million albums with 30 million digital tracks from his five studio albums. He has been named Entertainer of the Year by both the Academy of Country Music (twice) and the Country Music Association. Bryan’s recent album Kill The Lights recently debuted at #1 on both the Billboard Top 200 and Top Country Albums charts. This is Bryan’s third consecutive album to debut at #1 on the Billboard Top 200. Kill The Lights is the third-largest-selling album debut in 2015, after R&B / hip hop releases from Drake and Kendrick Lamar. Kill The Lights is also the highest country album debut in the last two years, since Bryan’s Crash My Party debuted at #1 in August 2013.

Bryan is taking his “Kick the Dust Up Tour” across North America in 2015 and to date has sold out eight stadium shows. This fall he will embark on his seventh annual Bayer Presents Luke Bryan Farm Tour 2015, performing in eight cities across the South, granting college scholarships to local students from farming families in communities where the tour plays.

For more information about the exhibit, click here. Follow @countrymusichof on Twitter and join the conversation using #ThisIsLukeBryan. Public programming for Luke Bryan: Dirt Road Diary is made possible, in part, by the Metropolitan Nashville Arts Commission and Willard and Pat Walker Charitable Foundation.

LAUREN ALAINA RELEASES HER SELF-TITLED EP.

Lauren Alaina releases her self-titled EP on Friday (October 2nd). All five songs on the collection, which features her new single, “Next Boyfriend,” were co-written by the singer.

“I feel like I’ve been waiting for this day for-ever,” says Lauren. “It’s been two-and-a-half years, and I wrote so much music in that time period that I just am so glad to have these five songs out for people to hear to get them ready for the whole album.”

One of the other songs on the EP, “History,” was recorded for ESPN as an exclusive promo track for the network’s college football coverage. She co-wrote “Road Less Traveled” with Meghan Trainor (“All About That Bass,” “Your Lips Are Movin’”) and Jesse Frasure (“Sun Daze,” “Hangover Tonight”).

Lauren Alaina EP Track Listing:

1. “Road Less Traveled” (Lauren Alaina, Jesse Frasure, Meghan Trainor)
2. “Holding The Other” (Lauren Alaina, Emily Weisband, Eric Olson)
3. “Next Boyfriend” (Lauren Alaina, Emily Weisband, Matt McVaney)
4. “Painting Pillows” (Lauren Alaina, Lindsay Jack Rimes, Alex Masters)
5. “History” (Lauren Alaina, Emily Weisband, Jesse Frasure)

Audio / Lauren Alaina says she’s so excited to release her new EP.

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Lauren Alaina (waiting) OC: …whole album. :17
“I feel like I’ve been waiting for this day for-ever. Uh, It’s been two-and-a-half years, and I wrote so much music in that time period that I just am so glad to have these five songs out for people to hear to get them ready for the whole album.”

LAUREN ALAINA HAS NO LUCK PICKING A ‘NEXT BOYFRIEND.’

Lauren Alaina just released her new single, “Next Boyfriend,” and during her shows, she always “picks” a guy to come on stage while she sings the song. Most of them do not fit the part of her “next boyfriend,” though. Check out the newest installment of her SWAK videos below.

P.S. Lauren does actually have a boyfriend, and his name is Alex.

Video / SWAK: Next Boyfriend

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GEORGE STRAIT ADDS MORE DATES IN VEGAS.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Sept. 29, 2015) – As soon as George Strait announced he would be taking the stage for select dates at the Las Vegas Arena in 2016, fans started lighting up social media with their plans to see the “King of Country Music” perform in Sin City. Due to overwhelming demand for the four shows announced last week, Strait will be adding December 2nd and 3rd, 2016 to the schedule.

The Country Music Hall of Fame inductee will be among the first entertainers to perform at the Las Vegas Arena, with a series of exclusive worldwide concert engagements on April 22, April 23, September 9, September 10, December 2 and December 3, 2016. GRAMMY, ACM and CMA Award-winning singer/songwriter Kacey Musgraves, who recently released her second studio album Pageant Material to critical acclaim, will open for Strait on all dates.

“I said all along I wasn’t going to tour anymore, but I also said that I wasn’t retiring by any means and I still wanted to do some dates,” said Strait. “I’m very excited to be coming back out and playing for the fans out there. I’m looking forward to it so much, singing those songs that I love so much and haven’t done in a while. I’m really, really looking forward to being able to play in the new Las Vegas Arena. I hear it’s just unbelievable. I can’t wait.”

Strait’s new album, Cold Beer Conversation, is available now at Apple Music and Walmart and features 13 songs including his latest single, “Cold Beer Conversation.” It is the first new studio album in two years from the MCA Nashville recording artist. His last studio album was the Gold-certified Love is Everything, which featured the Platinum-certified No. 1 hit (and 60th No. 1 hit of his career) “Give It All We Got Tonight” as well as the Gold-certified hit “I Got A Car.”

Tickets for the 2016 concert series will go on sale this Friday (October 2nd) at 10:00 a.m. PT via www.straittovegas.com and range in price from $75 to $200 plus applicable fees. American Express® Card Members can purchase tickets for the December 2 and 3 shows before the general public from now until Thursday, Oct. 1 at 10 p.m. PT.

Audio / George Strait talks about going back to Las Vegas to perform a handful of dates.

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George Strait (Vegas) OC: …I’m ready. :45
“It’s something we talked about for a good while. It fits so good, because it’s exactly what I want to do. Go someplace, play a couple of dates, go home, schedule another one down the road in a few months. Come back, bam bam. I can get that itch out of me that I really need ‘cause I miss performing. I miss it a lot. It’s been a year and two or three months since I’ve performed live with my band as far as doing a show, and when that comes around it’ll have been almost 2 years, so I’m looking forward to getting back out there and knocking the dust off and pulling my chair back up to that table. I’m ready.”

KEITH URBAN TOPS THE COUNTRY CHART WITH HIS 19TH NO. 1 SINGLE, “JOHN COUGAR, JOHN DEERE, JOHN 3:16.”

Keith Urban earned his 19th No. 1 song this week as his latest hit, “John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16” moved to the top of the Country Aircheck/Mediabase chart. The song, written by Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne and Ross Copperman, is the first release from his forthcoming album.

During his recent No. 1 party for “Raise ‘Em Up,” Keith Urban discussed the connection he felt in recording both “Raise ‘Em Up” and his new No. 1 song, “John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16.”

“In some ways, I think these songs probably do have, they have a thing about them that feel family, communal in nature,” says Keith. “So, whatever is in them, the spirit, I guess, is what I connect to. I think it’s just the spirit. I think that’s it.”

Keith is back on the road vetting up-and-coming stars for the 15th season of American Idol, which returns to FOX in January.

Audio / During his recent No. 1 party for “Raise ‘Em Up,” Keith Urban discussed the connection he felt in recording both “Raise ‘Em Up” and his new No. 1 song, “John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16.”

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Keith Urban (John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16) OC: …that’s it. :14
“In some ways, I think these songs probably do have, they have a thing about them that feel family, communal in nature. So, whatever is in them, the spirit, I guess, is what I connect to. I think it’s just the spirit. I think that’s it.”

NEWS AND NOTES: Kip, Kacey, Chris

Prior to heading out on his Wild Ones Tour on October 8th in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Kip Moore has enjoyed a little R&R the past few days with a surfing trip in Costa Rica.

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During a hometown show in Mineola, Texas over the weekend, Kacey Musgraves was surprised by the classic car club. Kacey took to social media to announce the surprise. “I cannot believe what just happened – as a thank you for doing my Hometown Hang benefit…the Lake Country Classic Car Club and the City of Mineola, TX SURPRISED me and fixed up my old ’67 Mustang…shined it up and got it runnin’ again…It was a high school project my Dad and I worked on and I haven’t been able to drive it for about 7 years. THANK YOU SO MUCH!” She also received a key to the city of Mineola, Texas.

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Speaking of Kacey, she’s set to ring in 2016 with Willie Nelson at his annual New Year’s Eve shows in Austin, Texas.

Chris Stapleton has been announced as one of the performers during the Jack Daniel’s Bash on Broadway show on New Year’s Eve in Nashville. The free show will also feature performances by Kings of Leon, Wild Cub and Kelsea Ballerini.

LUKE BRYAN’S KILL THE LIGHTS CONTINUES TO REIGN AT THE TOP OF THE COUNTRY ALBUM CHART.

Luke Bryan’s Kill the Lights remains at the top of the country album chart this week, selling another nearly 28,000 copies to also land him at Top 10 on the overall Billboard Hot 200 chart, as well. The collection features his previous No. 1 single “Kick the Dust Up,” as well as his current hit, “Strip It Down,” which is the Top downloaded country song.

Luke says “Strip It Down” is a magical moment on his album. “This is my fifth album and I’ve never really done like that slow dance, take your girl and have a big ole, big ole night of romance and all that, and ‘Strip It Down’ kind of does that and I’m interested to see how the fans react to that,” says Luke. “I do feel like ‘Strip It Down’ is a really, really special moment on the CD, and I don’t think three years ago I could have delivered a song like ‘Strip It Down’ like I wanted to, but it felt right the way we wrote it…the loft at me and Caroline’s house is kind of my little writing room and kind of got some good vibes going on in there writing some good songs. But Ross and Jon came out there, and we knocked out ‘Strip It Down,’ and it was a pretty magical moment.”

The Georgia native kicks off this year’s Farm Tour Wednesday (September 30th) in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Audio / Luke Bryan describes “Strip It Down” as a magical moment on his new album, Kill the Lights.

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Luke Bryan (Strip It Down) 2 OC: …magical moment. :56
“I’m five albums in. This is my fifth album and I’ve never really done like that slow dance, take your girl and have a big ole, big ole night of romance and all that, and ‘Strip It Down’ kind of does that and I’m interested to see how the fans react to that. I think I got a good picture in my mind of how it’s going to go and I’m excited to see all of that transpire. But I do feel like ‘Strip It Down’ is a really, really special moment on the CD and I don’t think three years ago I could have delivered a song like ‘Strip It Down’ like I wanted to, but it felt right the way we wrote it…Well the loft at me and Caroline’s house is kind of my little writing room and kind of got some good vibes going on in there writing some good songs. But Ross and Jon came out there, and we knocked out ‘Strip It Down’ and it was a pretty magical moment.”

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Photos

  • Alan Jackson with WUSN/Chicago’s Jeff Kapugi and Marci Braun, as well as UMG Nashville’s Mike Dungan and Steve Hodges.