Universal Universal Music Group Nashville Pressroom

Once everyone gets #SOBER, lets all do a little#DAYDRINKING. Spring 2014.

Hmmmmm….

The Christmas spirit is alive and well in the country music community, and it is represented by several artists in the new ABC special, CMA Country Christmas.
Jennifer Nettles hosts the show, which features performances by Luke Bryan, Lady Antebellum, Darius Rucker, Willie Robertson, Jake Owen, Trace Adkins, Rascal Flatts and more.

CMA Country Christmas airs Monday (December 2nd) at 9pm ET/8pm CT.

Lady A (Christmas Tradition-Dave) OC: …this year. :30
“I think a tradition I would love to carry on is kind of a funny one. My dad on Christmas Eve, he would actually read The Christmas Story. Very predictable, I know, but after The Christmas Story, he would always give his famous Christmas test. And he would have this long test and he would ask us about the Three Wisemen… the entire Christmas story. So, I’m gonna have to get the copy of it from him because he never gives us the full answers, but I’d love to get that test from him and be able to pass that along. I’ll quiz my wife this year.”

Willie (favorite Christmas tradition) OC: …pretty fun. :21
“My favorite Christmas tradition is actually we do a big like karaoke the night before believe it or not and sing all kinds of songs and all the kids perform and it’s fun watching them.  They’ll prepare for it all year so it’s pretty cool.  Each family does a performance so it’s pretty fun.”

Check out a unique acoustic version of Lady Antebellum‘s song “And The Radio Played” on the tour bus… jamming between cities!

“And The Radio Played” is featured on the new Golden Deluxe album!

Luke Bryan took time out to visit with Ellen DeGeneres following his big win at the recent American Music Awards. He performed his current single, “Drink a Beer,” and talked about the viral video of him shaking it. Check it out below.

Duck the Halls: A Robertson Family Christmas remains at the top of the Country Album Chart for a fourth straight week! The collection sold more than 60,000 copies to hold onto the top spot on the country chart and the No. 4 spot on the overall Billboard Top 200.

Luke Bryan’s Crash My Party comes in at No. 2 on the country chart, while Lady Antebellum’s Golden rounds out the Top 5.

Willie Robertson says it took a bit of convincing to get his father, Phil, to be a part of the album. “I would’ve thought we could’ve gotten George Strait to sing on our album faster than we could’ve gotten Phil sing on this album, who is not a big fan of this thing, this idea,” says Willie. “I’m used to him shooting down my ideas, like Duck Dynasty, the internet, the website, these are all things that he thought would never work; buying the warehouse. So, when we said Christmas album, he said, ‘Well, that’s the worst idea you’ve had yet,’ which actually made me feel good. I thought this’ll probably work then because he thinks it’s such a terrible idea.”

Phil warmed up to the idea of a Christmas album, and now that it’s out, he’s really proud of it. “He listens to it every day, and so my mother says that everybody that comes through the house, Phil makes ‘em listen to the entire album,” laughs Willie. “The house cleaner, the carpenters, I mean, anybody that comes through, he sits them down and says, ‘You gotta hear this,’ from top to bottom while he sits and watches your reaction.”

Ducks (Phil & Strait) OC: (Willie) …terrible idea. :49
KORIE: “To have Phil and George Strait together, I mean, it’s like, Phil is like a legend in the duck call business. I mean, he’s my father-in-law, but he is in the duck call and hunting business and industry, and George Strait, of course, is a legend in country music. So, to have them do something together was the perfect thing…” WILLIE: “But actually I would’ve thought we could’ve gotten George Strait to sing on our album faster than we could’ve gotten Phil sing on this album, who is not a big fan of this thing, this idea. I’m used to him shooting down my ideas, like Duck Dynasty, the internet, the website, these are all things that he thought would never work; buying the warehouse. So, when we said Christmas album, he said, ‘Well, that’s the worst idea you’ve had yet,’ which actually made me feel good. I thought this’ll probably work then because he thinks it’s such a terrible idea.”

Ducks (Phil loves Christmas album) OC: (Willie) …of it. :53
WILLIE: “And then when we actually finished the thing, and he’s so excited. He listens to it over and over and over, and he calls Sadie to congratulate her.” KORIE: “He never calls.” WILLIE: “No, he doesn’t.” KORIE: He doesn’t call people. He called Sadie to tell her how much he loved her song, ‘Away in a Manger.’ And it’s so funny, because when he hung up, he said he loved her. He said, ‘I love you,’ and Sadie was in such shock. She didn’t even know what to say back. [WILLIE LAUGHS] Because Phil is just, I mean, he’s an awesome granddad, and the kids spend a lot of time with him, but he’s not real lovey and complimentary necessarily. He’s not that kind of granddad. So, Sadie was kind of shocked.” WILLIE: “And he listens to it every day, and so my mother says that everybody that comes through the house, Phil makes ‘em listen to the entire album. The house cleaner, the carpenters, I mean, anybody that comes through, he sits them down and says, ‘You gotta hear this,’ from top to bottom while he sits and watches your reaction.” [WILLIE LAUGHS] KORIE: “I think he’s proud.” WILLIE: “So, he ended up proud of it.”

Gary Allan is getting ready to release the video for his latest single, “It Ain’t the Whiskey,” on Black Friday (November 29^th). The clip was shot at the Downtown Presbyterian Church in Nashville, which is a National Historic Landmark.

“It was a lot of fun to shoot. We shot it in Nashville, and I believe if the story is right, the building was like a Confederate hospital. It’s really cool,” says Gary. “It’s a church now, and it’s got like artist lofts above it. I was able to get the band in there…I think you guys are gonna like it.”

Click below to watch an exclusive preview of the video.

Gary Allan (It Ain’t the Whiskey video) OC: …like it. :22
“I can’t wait for you to see it. It was a lot of fun to shoot. We shot it in Nashville, and I believe if the story is right, the building was like a Confederate hospital. It’s really cool.It’s a church now, and it’s got like artist lofts above it. I was able to get the band in there. I thought T.K. did a great job of telling the story. I think you guys are gonna like it.”

Lady Antebellum have been tapped to perform at this year’s American Music Awards. They are joined by Jake Owen and Kellie Pickler, as well as previously announced performances by Darius Rucker with special guest Sheryl Crow, Brad Paisley and Florida Georgia Line and appearances by Scotty McCreery and Sara Evans, among others. The two-hour show will air live from the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas December 10th on FOX.

Lauren Alaina will release her version of the holiday tune “Grown Up Christmas List” on iTunes December 10th. The digital track, produced by Nathan Chapman, will be released in conjunction with the 26th anniversary of Special Olympics A Very Special Christmas series.

Lauren, who is a Special Olympics ambassador, will perform “Grown Up Christmas List” and “Jingle Bells” during NBC’s Christmas in Rockefeller Center, airing December 4th.

You can also catch Lauren performing “Grown Up Christmas List” as part of the first holiday edition of CMT’s Live @ CMT series. The program, which launches December 2nd on CMT.com, will feature performances of some of Alaina’s favorite Christmas songs – “O Holy Night,” “Jingle Bells” and “Silent Night.” Her music video of “Grown Up Christmas List” will premiere on CMT and CMT Pure on December 9th.

Lauren Alaina (favorite Christmas moment) OC: …on it. :10
“This is Lauren Alaina, and my favorite Christmas memory is when I got my Barbie bike when I was like six-years-old and I thought I ruled the world because it had a horn and it had Barbie’s picture on it.”

St. Helena, Calif. (Nov. 25, 2013) – Trinchero Family Estates welcomed Willie and Korie Robertson, of Duck Commander and Duck Dynasty fame, to Napa Valley November 17-19 to meet with the Trinchero Family about their collaboration and to celebrate the successful launch of Duck Commander Wines.  During their visit, Willie (Duck Commander CEO) and his wife Korie toured the Duck Commander Wine production facilities and bottling line of The Duck Commander Wines portfolio including Triple Threat 2011 Red Blend, Wood Duck 2012 Chardonnay, and Miss Priss 2012 Pink Moscato.

The Robertson’s also toured and tasted wines at Sutter Home Winery and Trinchero Napa Valley Winery, two of Trinchero Family Estates’ flagship brands.  The trip concluded with a private family dinner with the Robertsons and the Trincheros, and a “Happy, Happy, Happy Hour” reception at the Trinchero Family Estates Hospitality and Culinary Center in St. Helena.

Willie and Korie Robertson star in the reality series Duck Dynasty, which premiered in 2012 on A&E, and garnered 11.8 million viewers during its season 4 premiere, making it  the #1 non-fiction cable program in 2013 to date. The Robertsons’ travels will continue as they celebrate Thanksgiving in NYC with media appearances on ABC’s The View on Wed., Nov. 27 and Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on Thurs., Nov. 28 also in support of Duck Commander Wines, their new Christmas album DUCK THE HALLS, Miss Kay’s Duck Commander Kitchen: Faith, Family, and Food–Bringing Our Home to Your Table and  a one-hour Christmas Special airing on Dec. 11 at 10PM ET/PT on A&E.

Bob Torkelson, president of Trinchero Family Estates commented, “We are extremely pleased with the consumer response to Duck Commander Wines and that we were able to show some Napa Valley hospitality to the Robertsons during their visit to our facilities and wineries.  Trinchero Family Estates and Duck Commander are two family-owned companies that share a passion for wine and a commitment to quality and family values.”

Duck Commander CEO Willie Robertson commented, “We’ve had a good time here in the Napa Valley and enjoyed learning more about the Trinchero family and their business and brands. Seeing the Duck Commander wines being bottled live, watching the project come together, and celebrating their release was very special to Korie and me.”

Korie Robertson added, “It’s a good, affordable wine, and it tastes great. Our customers are gonna love it, and I think the Trinchero family was the perfect partnership for us because we’re a family business and we love to work with other family businesses. We’re all really proud of this wine.” 

About Duck Commander Robertson Family Wines
Duck Commander Wines are sold and marketed by family-owned Trinchero Family Estates, Napa Valley vintners since 1948. The portfolio includes more than 40 brands such as Sutter Home, Ménage à Trois, Trinchero Napa Valley, Napa Cellars, Terra d’Oro, Seaglass, Trinity Oaks, Folie à Deux, and the number one alcohol-removed wine, Fre. TFE markets and sells Joel Gott Wines; Bandit, Newman’s Own, and The SHOW. TFE’s import portfolio includes Angove Wines from Australia; Doña Paula wines from Argentina; Carmen Wines from Chile; Shatter Wines from France; and CRUZ and Tres Agaves Tequilas from Mexico. Visit www.tfewines.com to learn more.

About Duck Commander
Duck Commander is a family-owned and operated business that was established in 1972 by Phil Robertson and based in West Monroe, Louisiana. What once began as a duck call centered company has grown into a multi-million dollar empire with Phil’s four sons, Willie, Jase, Jep, and Alan, and their wives at the helm. Duck Commander products, which now include much more than just duck calls, have been sold in all fifty states and in several countries and encompasses lifestyle brands including Duck Commander duck-hunting merchandise, Buck Commander deer-hunting merchandise, Duck Girl apparel, Duck Commander Wine, and more. Each of the Duck Commander brands was created with a focus on bringing family together. It is their motto of faith, family, and ducks that has resonated with fans at their speaking engagements and on the No. 1 cable show “Duck Dynasty.” Their perseverance, business savvy and knack for storytelling also landed them at the top of the New York Times’ Best Sellers list three times with titles “The Duck Commander Family,” “Happy, Happy, Happy: My Life and Legacy as the Duck Commander,” and “Si-cology.” This fall the family celebrated their first venture into music with a No. 1 debut of their holiday album Duck The Halls: A Robertson Family Christmas. For more information, please visit www.duckcommander.com.

Keith Urban’s “We Were Us”, featuring Miranda Lambert, has topped the US Country singles charts giving the four-time Grammy Award winner his 16th No. 1 song.  It is the first male/female duet to reach No. 1 in more than two years (Brad Paisley/Carrie Underwood’s “Remind Me) and is the second (“Little Bit of Everything”) from Urban’s album FUSE to hit No. 1.

FUSE, Urban’s latest, debuted atop the Billboard Top 200 All-Genre Album Chart and marked the first time that a male country artist debuted at #1 in the United States, Canada and Australia simultaneously. The video for the chart-topping duet, debuted on Facebook last week and as of this morning has garnered nearly 600,000 views. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlFEJ-Ctpjc). 

Urban is currently out on the road on his Light The Fuse Tour, the second leg of which concludes December 8th.  The tour continues into January 2014, which includes six concerts in Canada.

For more official Keith Urban news and information go to www.keithurban.net. 

To download audio of Keith, go here and here.