Universal Universal Music Group Nashville Pressroom

Gary Allan’s new single, “Pieces,” is a unique and positive way to look at previous relationships. He co-wrote the song with Sarah Buxton and Odie Blackmon, which was the first time the three of them had written together.

“‘Pieces,’ that was Sarah [Buxton]’s hook. She came with a little bit of it written. I wrote it with Odie Blackmon and her…it was our first time we had written together, and it was a great write,” says Gary. “I love the song…and it is a song about taking something from everybody, and you do. You take things through life in every relationship, and that kind of spits you out as who you are.”

“Pieces” is the follow-up to his previous number-one single, “Every Storm (Runs Out of Rain).”

AUDIO: Gary Allan talks about the song, “Pieces,” which he co-wrote with Sarah Buxton and Odie Blackmon.

Gary Allan (Pieces) 1 OC: …who you are. :20
“‘Pieces,’ that was Sarah [Buxton]’s hook. She came with a little bit of it written. I wrote it with Odie Blackmon and her…it was our first time we had written together, and it was a great write. I love the song, though. And it is a song about taking something from everybody, and you do. You take things through life in every relationship, and that kind of spits you out as who you are.”

Kacey Musgraves arrives in stores with her debut album, Same Trailer, Different Park, on Tuesday (March 19th). She wrote or co-wrote all 12 tracks on the project, which she also co-produced with celebrated tunesmiths Luke Laird (“Pontoon,” “Drink in My Hand,” “Take a Back Road”) and Shane McAnally (“Merry Go Round,” “Somewhere With You”).

The title of the album came her Top 10 hit “Merry Go Round,” and she says it’s one of her favorite lyrics. “All along I wanted the title to be something that stands out. I never wanted it to be one-dimensional or completely obvious — you know, Kacey Musgraves… Or even Merry Go Round, you know? I kind of love it when album titles make you think, and sometimes they don’t even have anything to do with the actual, it’s just an abstract idea,” says Kacey. “This came from a lyric in ‘Merry Go Round’ and it’s one of my favorite lyrics in the record. The lyric is ‘Same hurt in every heart/same trailer, different park,’ and it kind of just means we’re all kind of in this together. We’re all hurt the same way. We all feel the same way, although we’re all different.”

Catch Kacey perform her hit single on NBC’s Today Show on Tuesday — the same day her album hits stores!

AUDIO: Kacey Musgraves describes how she came up with the title of her debut album, Same Trailer, Different Park.

Kacey Musgraves (title of album) OC: …I love it. :40
“All along I wanted the title to be something that stands out. I never wanted it to be one dimensional or completely obvious — you know, Kacey Musgraves… Or even Merry Go Round, you know? I kind of love it when album titles make you think, and sometimes they don’t even have anything to do with the actual, it’s just an abstract idea. This came from a lyric in ‘Merry Go Round’ and it’s one of my favorite lyrics in the record. The lyric is ‘Same hurt in every heart/same trailer, different park,’ and it kind of just means we’re all kind of in this together. We’re all hurt the same way. We all feel the same way, although we’re all different. That’s why I love it.”

GEORGE STRAIT FANS AND FELLOW COUNTRY ARTISTS JOIN THE  “SIXTY FOR SIXTY” MOVEMENT
Current Single “Give It All We Got Tonight” Would Become Strait’s 60^th No. 1 Hit            

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Country music’s biggest stars and fans are helping to make history by joining the “Sixty For Sixty” movement (#60for60) which celebrates George Strait as he approaches the 60th No. 1 single of his career with “Give It All We Got Tonight,” before his 61st birthday on May 18th. “Sixty For Sixty” first started on Valentine’s Day when fans rallied together on Strait’s Twitter and Facebook pages encouraging local country radio to meet the challenge and spin the record.  It appears their efforts have paid off as “Give It All We Got Tonight” is the fastest certified Gold single of Strait’s career and currently sits in the Top 15 on the Country radio charts. It is the first single from his forthcoming album, due for release in late spring. 

As a tribute to Strait’s incredible career that includes more No. 1 singles than any artist in history, in any genre, fellow Country music artists including Little Big Town, Luke Bryan, Josh Turner, Darius Rucker, among others, have joined the “Sixty For Sixty” movement, seen here: http://youtu.be/J0NBfNnuI-g.  By visiting www.sixtyforsixty.com, fans can learn how they can help the movement using Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. The website will continuously update as more artists, celebrities, and fans join this movement for “King George.”

With over 68 million albums sold, George has influenced and inspired Country music, fellow artists and fans for more than 32 years.  His current two-year final U.S. tour, The Cowboy Rides Away Tour recently debuted in the No. 1 slot of POLLSTAR’s “Concert Pulse,” topping Justin Bieber, Neil Young & Crazy Horse, Dave Matthews Band, and The Who. So far, George has sold out 16 venues on the 2013 leg of The Cowboy Rides Away Tour within minutes, including record-breaking attendance figures in Knoxville, Tenn., Lexington, Ky., and in upcoming San Antonio and Houston markets.

Nashville, Tenn. – Capitol Records Nashville recording artist Darius Rucker will release his third country studio album, True Believers, on May 21.  Darius wrote ten of the twelve tracks on True Believers, produced by Frank Rogers, and the album features the Top 20-and-climbing critically-acclaimed single “Wagon Wheel” written by Ketch Secor of Old Crow Medicine Show, based on a sketch by Bob Dylan.

“I’m very proud of this record,” Rucker reveals.  “The songs, the co-writes, the vibe – it’s all really different from what we’ve recorded and released on the past two albums, and I hope that difference resonates with the fans.”

Rogers, who also produced Learn To Live and Charleston, SC 1966, shares, “When we were recording True Believers, we had Darius record a lot of the vocals for this album in his hometown of Charleston. I think as a result of that relaxed setting he was more experimental vocally, and honestly, he sang better than ever before.”

Rucker’s first two country albums, Learn To Live and Charleston, SC 1966 both topped the Billboard Country album chart and produced five No. 1 singles including “Come Back Song,” “This,” “Alright,” “It Won’t Be Like This For Long” and “Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It.”

In 2009 Rucker was named New Artist of the Year at the CMA Awards.  Most recently, he achieved a personal goal and childhood dream when he was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry on October 16, 2012.  Rucker will kick off his True Believers Tour on May 9 in Estero, Florida, visiting more than 20 cities across the U.S. before wrapping up in Clarkston, Michigan on June 30th.

True Believers Track Listing:  

1. True Believers (Darius Rucker, Josh Kear)
2. Miss You (Darius Rucker, Frank Rogers)
3. Wagon Wheel (Bob Dylan, Ketch Secor)
4. Love Without You (Brandy Clark, Shane McAnally)
5. Radio (Darius Rucker, Luke Laird, Ashley Gorley)
6. Lost In You (Darius Rucker, Mark Nesler, Phillip White)
7. I Will Love You Still (Darius Rucker, Josh Kear)
8. Take Me Home (Darius Rucker, Frank Rogers, Monty Criswell)
9. Shine (Darius Rucker, Frank Rogers)
10. Heartbreak Road (Darius Rucker, Dallas Davidson, Rhett Akins)
11. Leavin’ The Light On (Darius Rucker, David Lee Murphy, Phil O’Donnell)
12. Lie To Me (Darius Rucker, Rodney Clawson, Bob DiPiero)

For more information, please visit www.dariusrucker.com.

AUDIO: Darius Rucker says he was going for a slightly different sound for his new album, True Believers.

Darius Rucker (new album) OC: …going for. :46
“This third record we wanted to take a step different. We wanted to sound a little different – that was the big thing with me and [producer] Frank [Rogers]. The most important thing this time was the songs. This is the most important record of my career. This record is either going to make me a country superstar, or make me just another country singer. I mean, it’s really that simple, so we knew we had to go do something special. We had to have some songs that were going to connect with people and people are gonna want to hear over and over and over again and want to go buy, and so we took our time and we worked on it. I got the best compliment ever when I played three songs for friends of mine who are DJs down at country radio in Charleston. And the first question he asked me is who is my new producer? And I thought, ‘That’s a great question.’ I said the same guy. He said, ‘It doesn’t sound like it.’ That’s what we were going for.”

Check out all the fun and craziness Lady Antebellum and special guest star Beth Behrs (Two Broke Girls) had while making the video for the band’s latest single, “Downtown,” in the latest installment of Webisode Wednesday…below.

By the way, “Downtown” is Lady A’s first single from their new album, Golden, due in stores May 7th.

Kacey Musgraves’ debut single, “Merry Go Round,” has just been certified gold by the R.I.A.A., for selling over 500,000 copies. The Texas native wrote the Top 10 song with pals Josh Osborne and Shane McAnally, and she says she is truly grateful for the song and its success. “I’m so thankful for this song,” says Kacey. “I love ‘Merry Go Round’ so much, and I can’t believe where it is right now.”

You can catch her performing the song when she hits the road on Kenny Chesney’s No Shoes Nation Tour in Tampa on Saturday. She’ll also perform the tune when she appears on NBC’s Today Show Tuesday – the same day her album, Same Trailer, Different Park, is released.

AUDIO: Kacey Musgraves says she is grateful for her debut single, “Merry Go Round.”

Kacey Musgraves (thankful for Merry Go Round) OC: …it’s awesome. :30
“I’m so thankful for this song. I wrote it with Josh Osborne and Shane McAnally, one of my favorite writing combos. A lot of it was inspired by the surroundings that I had growing up, you know, just from being from a tiny little Bible-belt town, conservative. I’m just observing. I don’t want anyone to think with this song that I’m pointing a finger or being cynical. I love ‘Merry Go Round’ so much, and I can’t believe where it is right now. I mean, it’s awesome.”

Nashville, TN – Mercury Nashville singer/songwriter Kacey Musgraves is set to perform her top-10 hit single “Merry Go ‘Round” on NBC’s TODAY, Tuesday, March 19; a song that has now sold over 500k digital downloads making it eligible for GOLD certification from the RIAA.

That same day, she will release her debut album, Same Trailer Different Park, an album that the Washington Post calls “magnificent” and admits “contains some of the most straightforward storytelling you could ever ask of a dozen country tunes.” The feature goes on to say that Same Trailer Different Park has “No bells, no whistles, no throwaway lyrics — just 12 pithy singalongs, often beautiful, sometimes brilliant.” 

USA TODAY also recently featured the 24-year old with a headline that read “On the Verge: Country goes crazy for Kacey Musgraves” and declared her “country music’s newest ‘it’ girl.” 

Fans who pre-order Same Trailer Different Park at http://smarturl.it/8ilzgd will receive an instant download of Kacey’s “Follow Your Arrow.”

The latest episode of Dierks Bentley‘s DBTV gets kind of lonely for the singer-songwriter, because all he wants to do is play his banjo and fill the world with music.

Darius Rucker is set to host the ACM Lifting Lives Celebrity Golf Classic for the second consecutive year as one of the events leading up to this year’s ACM Awards. The event will take place April 6th at TPC Las Vegas and will benefit ACM Lifting Lives’ Diane Holcomb Emergency Relief Fund, which provides immediate relief to those in need in the music industry.

To say Darius is an avid golfer is an understatement — he loves the sport, and not just for the athleticism. “I love being outside. I get outside so little, really, if you look at the whole thing,” says Darius. “It’s me against the course. I love that.”

The 48th Annual ACM Awards will air live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena April 7th on CBS.

The South Carolina native is currently making his way up the country charts with his latest single, “Wagon Wheel,” which is from his upcoming album, True Believers.

AUDIO: Darius Rucker talks about just a couple of reasons why he likes to play golf.

Darius Rucker (golf) OC: …I love that. :09
“First off, I love being outside. I get outside so little, really, if you look at the whole thing. I mean, it’s me against the course. I love that.”

In the latest episode of LBTV, Luke Bryan and the band take fans behind-the-scenes of such popular TV shows as the Ellen DeGeneres Show, Chelsea Lately and Jimmy Kimmel. The ACM-nominated Entertainer of the Year was out on the West Coast last week promoting his new Spring Break…Here to Party album.