Universal Universal Music Group Nashville Pressroom

October 1, 2013 -Country superstar Luke Bryan’s album Crash My Party has been certified Platinum by the RIAA just six weeks after being released on August 13th. The album debuted at No. 1 on both the Billboard 200 and Country sales charts with 527,783 units sold, making it the biggest sales debut for a Country male artist since 2004 and the third highest album to debut across all genres this year.

The album’s title track, a multi-week No.1 single, recently set a Billboard record as the largest one-week audience since 2005 with 45.5 million listeners and has sold 1.3 million downloads. Luke’s newest single, “That’s My Kinda Night,” is also the highest-debuting single of his career and has been the No. 1 selling country single for six consecutive weeks. Crash My Party is Luke’s fourth studio album which follows his double-Platinum 2011 album tailgates & tanlines.

Luke is currently gearing up to launch his fifth “Farm Tour 2013” this week with eight shows from October 2 to October 12. Special guests performing during the tour include Chancie Neal, Cole Swindell and the Peach Pickers- Rhett Akins, Dallas Davidson and Ben Hayslip.

Luke’s career now boasts over four million in album sales with seven No. 1 singles. He is the reigning ACM Entertainer of the Year. Luke was named the No. 1 Artist of 2012 and No. 1 Male Artist of 2012 by Country Aircheck. Billboard named tailgates & tanlines the No. 2 Country Album and the No. 3 Country Artist Album of 2012 and claimed Luke as the #3 Top Country Artist of the Year. Also in 2012, Luke took home 11 music awards, including a record nine wins at the American Country Awards as well as his first American Music Award.

This spring, Luke co-hosted the Academy of Country Music Awards with Blake Shelton and received the coveted Entertainer of the Year award as well as the Vocal Event award with Jason Aldean and Eric Church for “The Only Way I Know.” At the CMT Music Awards in June, Luke won for Collaborative Video of the Year for “The Only Way I Know.”

Luke is currently nominated for three CMA Awards, Entertainer of the Year, Male Vocalist and Musical Event for “The Only Way I Know” with Jason Aldean and Eric Church. The show will air live on ABC on November 6th from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn.

Grammy Award winner and American Idol judge Keith Urban presented a check for $300,000 (backstage at his show on Saturday night in San Diego) to the Navy SEAL Foundation (NSF) a non-profit organization that serves to support SEAL families and their parent commands in easing financial burdens, establishing support networks and funding command-sponsored activities. The donation made backstage prior to his concert at San Diego’s Sleep Train Amphitheatre, represents Urban’s share of artist and publishing royalties earned from his song “For You”, written for the motion picture Act Of Valor.

Said Robin King, CEO of the Navy SEAL Foundation, “The Navy SEAL Foundation is humbled by Keith’s generosity and support of our community and its families.  His generous donation will help fund resiliency retreats for 120 SEALs and their families, fund the opportunity for over 500 Naval Special Warfare children to attend summer camp in 2014, where they’ll learn the importance of teamwork, communication, cooperation, goal setting and overcoming adversity.” 

“I have a deep appreciation for the special bond that all of these families feel towards each other and for the commitment that they have made to all of us,” said Urban. “The NSF reminds us to acknowledge the importance and sacrifice that is made each and every day by those serving ‘down range’ as well as their loving families.”

The NSF is a non-profit organization that provides immediate, ongoing and unwavering support and assistance to U.S. Navy SEALs, Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewman, Naval Special Warfare support personnel and their families. Their mission encompasses five key areas including warrior support and family services, educational opportunities, legacy preservation, tragedy assistance and survivor support. 

Urban is currently out on his Light The Fuse Tour in support of his seventh studio album FUSE, which debuted just this past week at #1 on all-genre charts in the United States, Canada and Australia.

Keith Urban (Navy Seals) OC: …extraordinary. :36
“For me, and I said this to some of the SEAL guys too, you know, because they were saying thank you so much for the song and being involved in the film. I’d like to say it’s just mine and my family’s tiny little way of saying thank you for what they do. It’s really extraordinary what they do, and I think this film, particularly, when people see it will have a new insight as to what they do. The diversity, separate to their sacrifices and their honor — separate to that — their actual physical human skills are just extraordinary.

Seven-time GRAMMY award-winning trio Lady Antebellum revealed their new single “Compass” to fans today on Facebook. Also shipping to Country Radio today, “Compass” is an arena sized sing-along driven by banjo and mandolin instrumentation. It will be available on iTunes tomorrow and will be included in a special edition GOLDEN DELUXE in stores Nov. 12th. Recent time off from the road has allowed the trio to channel their efforts off-stage by exploring new musical boundaries, resulting in a studio session too pivotal to ignore.

“We’ve had a lot time off from the road this summer to focus on our personal lives and really clear our heads…we’ve never done that before,” said Lady A’s Charles Kelley. “That break was more beneficial than we ever thought it would be and through some experimentation in the studio with Nathan Chapman, we found this new song that we knew we had to really dig into.”

“It was love at first listen with ‘Compass,’” continued Dave Haywood. “You hear people talk about songs they knew they couldn’t live without, and this is one of them for us. Once we all got in the studio to record our parts and really work with the instrumentation, it took on an energy that felt really fresh and different. We tried some new things vocally, and by adding foot stomps and hand claps to the acoustic sounds of the banjo, fiddle and mandolin, it really turned into something special.”

“I immediately fell in love with the spirit of the song,” added Hillary Scott. “As we made it our own, we decided we had to share it with the fans immediately…we just couldn’t wait! They’ve been so patient with us over the last few months as I’ve begun a new chapter in my life personally. Everything takes on new meaning once you have a child, and now I can hear the message of the song through Eisele’s ears too. It opens up a whole new world to you as an artist.”

Universal Music Group Nashville will be releasing Duck The Halls: A Robertson Family Christmas, on October 29. The Robertsons, Louisiana’s bearded, camouflage-clad entrepreneurial family, not only run the multi-million dollar Duck Commander Sporting Empire but are also a talented musical family. Growing up singing in church, the Robertsons will be showcasing their talents, as well as their special brand of Southern down-home sense of humor, on Duck The Halls: A Robertson Family Christmas. Produced by Buddy Cannon, the Christmas album features performances by the Robertson family along with special guests Alison Krauss, George Strait, Josh Turner and Luke Bryan.

A video sneak peak of the making of Duck The Halls: A Robertson Family Christmas including special guests George Strait and Luke Bryan can be seen here. An exclusive pre-order package of the album is available here.

The Robertsons, Louisiana’s favorite first family, don’t live in the governor’s mansion but in the backwoods, where their rags-to-riches story is still unfolding. A homegrown mom-and-pop operation, Duck Commander has become a sporting empire by fabricating top-of-the-line duck calls and decoys out of salvaged swamp wood. It’s also expanded into a line of products that includes hunting apparel, cooking products, DVDs, CDs and novelty items all bearing their brand. In 2012 A&E premiered Duck Dynasty, which features the lives of the Robertson family and their booming family business.

Duck The Halls: A Robertson Family Christmas Track Listing: 

1. “Ragin’ Cajun Redneck Christmas” (Willie Robertson)
Written by Willie Robertson and Dallas Davidson

2. “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” (Missy Robertson)
Written by Walter Kent, Kim Gannon and Buck Ram

3. “You’re A Mean One, Mr. Grinch” (Uncle Si Robertson)
Words by Theodor S. Geisel and Music by Albert Hague

4. “Christmas Cookies” (Phil Robertson and George Strait with Miss Kay)
Written by Aaron Barker

5. “Away In A Manger” (Sadie Robertson with Alison Krauss, Luke 2: 8-14 Scripture Reading by Mia)
Arranged by Buddy Cannon, Willie Robertson, Jase Robertson, Korie Robertson and Missy Robertson

6. “Hairy Christmas” (Willie Robertson and Luke Bryan with Phil, Uncle Si, Jase, Jep)
Written by Chancie Neal, Jimmy Melton and Michael Mobley

7. “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” (Missy and Jase Robertson)
Written by Frank Loesser

8. “Duck The Halls” (Robertson Family)
Arranged by Buddy Cannon, Willie Robertson, Jase Robertson, Korie Robertson and Missy Robertson

9. “Camouflage And Christmas Lights” (Reed Robertson)
Written by Michael Logen and Andrew Dorff

10. “Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer” (Sadie Robertson and Robertson kids with Uncle Si)
Written by Johnny Marks

11. “Night Before Christmas” (Uncle Si Robertson)
Written by Willie Robertson

12. “Why I Love Christmas” (Missy Robertson with Josh Turner)
Written by Josh Turner

13. “Silent Night” (Robertson family)
Arranged by Buddy Cannon, Willie Robertson, Jase Robertson, Korie Robertson and Missy Robertson

14. Phil’s Prayer, Willie’s Closing

DD Willie (Christmas album) OC: …and Hairy – Christmas. :23
“Nothing says Christmas more than families, so it was obvious for us to get together to do a Christmas album. Some of our favorite hits and new stuff that we’ve kinda put together just from the Robertson family out to the fans talking about Christmas. Yeah, this is gonna be a very special Merry – and Hairy – Christmas.”

Luke Bryan’s Crash My Party has been certified platinum for selling more than one-million copies. The project, which features the No. 1 title cut and his latest smash “That’s My Kind of Night,” debuted at the top of the Billboard Top 200 August 13th with more than 528,000 copies sold. “I just want to thank the fans for making so many of my dreams come true,” says Luke, adding, “and making all these sleepless nights and hard work of trying to do this business – all my fans make it worth so much.”

Luke kicks off his Farm Tour 2013 on Wednesday (October 2nd) in Statesboro, Georgia.

Luke Bryan (CMP platinum) OC: …of it. :21
“The official news of Crash My Party going platinum is amazing. I just found out, and I just want to thank the fans for making so many of my fans for making so many of my dreams come true and making all these sleepless nights and hard work of trying to do this business – all my fans make it worth so much. I’m so appreciative of it.”

Luke Bryan hasn’t finished dates on his Dirt Road Diaries Tour just yet, but he’s about to launch his fifth annual Farm Tour on Wednesday (October 2nd) in Statesboro, Georgia.  He’ll also hit such cities as Athens (Georgia), Columbia (SC) and Macon (Georgia), before wrapping up October 12th in Valdosta (Georgia).

Cole Swindell, the Peach Pickers and newcomer Chancie Neal will join Luke on the trek, which will benefit agriculture communities with the Luke Bryan Farm Tour Scholarship.

Luke Bryan 2013 Farm Tour Dates:

10/2 – Statesboro, Ga.  Perry’s Field
10/3 – Athens, Ga.   Wild Winds Farms
10/4 – Columbia, S.C.  Culler Farms
10/5 – Macon, Ga.   Midway at Central City Park
10/9 – Villa Rica, Ga.  V-Plex
10/10 – Auburn, Ala.   Ingram Farms
10/11 – Tallahassee, Fla.   Tallahassee Automobile Museum
10/12 – Valdosta, Ga.   Valdosta Wake Compound

Luke Bryan (Farm Tour) OC: …keep it rockin’. :24
“We just want to have a little fun in the fall, and I think what’s cool about the Farm Tour is when we continue to go to places like Valdosta (Georgia). These things are a big event for these towns, and I just love the fact that people can come out and have a big time, listen to some music, and it’s just a fun experience all the way around. I want to continue to do what I can to keep it rockin’.”

Jennifer Nettles will host the ABC television special, CMA Country Christmas, for the fourth time. The show will tape two days after the 47^th Annual CMA Awards, on November 8^th, in front of a live audience in Nashville. Luke Bryan, Darius Rucker, Trace Adkins, Sheryl Crow, Jake Owen, Kellie Pickler, Rascal Flatts and Michael W. Smith will be among the stars getting into the holiday spirit by taking part in the CMA Country Christmas special.

Scotty McCreery is among the stars on Billboard’s 2013 list of 21 Under 21. The feature acknowledges the biggest underage age acts this year. Scotty came in at No. 6 on the list, for the release of his debut Platinum album Clear As Day, and his upcoming album See You Tonight – along with an endorsement deal with Bojangles. One Direction took the top spot on the 21 Under 21 List.

Luke Bryan and Eric Church are set to headline the forthcoming Kicker Country Stampede, which will take place at the beautiful Tuttle Creek State Park in Manhattan, Kansas, June 26th-29th, 2014.