Universal Universal Music Group Nashville Pressroom

Nashville, TN (February 19, 2013) –  Dierks Bentley, Josh Turner, Montgomery Gentry and Kenny Rogers are the latest additions to the ever-growing list of talent set to take stage for the final Nashville concert of George Jones’ career.  Taking place at the Bridgestone Arena on Friday, November 22, 2013, the sure-to-be unforgettable show is already gearing up to be a star-studded event with already announced artists Charlie Daniels, Lorrie Morgan, Randy Travis, Jamey Johnson and Gene Watson. 
 
“I am excited that my friends all want to be with me on this show,” says George Jones.  “This is sure going to be a fun and emotional night with lots of memories, friends, and great country music.”
 
Tickets for the Nashville finale are currently on sale at all Ticketmaster locations.

Lady Antebellum appeared on ABC’s Good Morning America Tuesday morning (February 19th) to announce the details of their fourth studio album, Golden, which is set for release May 7th. The three wrote the title track with label-mate Eric Paslay over a bottle of wine in Charles Kelley’s library room. ““It’s actually the last song we wrote for the record,” Charles tells The Huffington Post. While a few details have yet to be finalized, the collection will include 11 or 12 songs, half of which were written or co-written by the group. Paul Worley is once again at the helm for Golden, having produced all Lady A’s previous releases.

“This album feels to me like one of those that from start to finish could be a good road-trip record and that’s what we wanted,” said Lady A’s Charles Kelley. “It’s one of the reasons why the term ‘golden’ was kind of cool. I think about road trips and driving down the road with those little streaks of sunshine popping through the trees, especially at sunset. ‘Golden’…it just gives you this warm, easy feeling.”
 
“Writing and recording this record really took us back to when we first met each other,” added Hillary Scott. “When I first met the boys, we spent a lot of time around the piano at the house they lived in at the time. We didn’t really know each other at all, but there was still some magic and then the harmonies – that’s how it all started – that blend of our voices and that blend of our songwriting craft. So, it’s exciting that even on our fourth record, we can still find that.”

“The word ‘golden’ to me conjures up a lot of pictures,” continued Dave Haywood. “In the title track, it depicts driving down the road at sunset but, to me, it also depicts a special time in our career…a ‘golden,’ special time for us. We definitely want to value this time in our careers because it’s such a treasure that we can still sit in a room and write songs together. I personally feel so humbled to still be making records that people are excited to hear.”

The trio didn’t really feel much pressure on making this new album. “We spent the most time with this one, and we finally kind of had some time,” says Charles. “We got off the road, and nobody really gave us an end date, which was kind of nice.” Lady A’s Dave Haywood says the new album has a lot more energy to it, which makes them all pretty excited. “We’re cruising around town kind of listening to mixes. It’s fun to kind of have some really good rockers, especially with the first single.”

The new album’s lead single “Downtown” already stormed the Country radio charts, becoming the trio’s career highest charting debut. People noted “this preview of Lady A’s next album is slinky, sexy fun…crazy-catchy and downright soulful.”
 
Lady A’s previous three studio albums have paved the way for Golden, which follows over 11 million album sales, six career number-one hits and seven GRAMMY awards. Last year alone, more than one million fans in over 11 countries welcomed the ACM and CMA award-winning trio on their headlining tour.

The first single from Golden, “Downtown,” has been speeding up the country charts…already sitting inside the Top 15.

AUDIO: Lady Antebellum talk about their new album, Golden, which will be released May 7th.

Lady A (new album) OC: (Dave) …as well. :32
CHARLES: “We spent the most time with this one, and we finally kind of had some time. We got off the road, and nobody really gave us an end date, which was kind of nice. So, they kind of – the label and everybody – waited until we felt like the music was at a point to be heard.” HILLARY: “I think it was at the end of August when we started recording.” DAVE: “We’ve been working on it a ton, and it’s got a lot more energy and a lot more tempo than some of our past projects, which is what we’re fired up about. We’re cruising around town kind of listening to mixes. It’s fun to kind of have some really good rockers, especially with the first single, as well.”

Check out the behind-the-scenes video of the making of Easton Corbin‘s new video for “All Over the Road.”

Check out the video Luke Bryan shot for Cabela’s.

Darius Rucker and Randy Houser sat down with NBC’s Lestor Holt about Musicians on Call, which brings musicians to the bedside of patients who are too sick to leave their rooms. The story aired Saturday night (February 16th) on NBC Nightly News.

Kacey Musgraves is nominated for a handful of ACM Awards this year, including Female Vocalist of the Year and Music Video of the Year for “Merry Go ‘Round.” She was actually in her hotel room in New York City getting ready for her appearance on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon earlier this week when she got the news of her nominations. “My mom, she was in the hotel room with me, and she’s like on top of all that,” says Kacey. “I was getting ready in the bathroom, [and] she was like, ‘Kaceeeeyyyyyy, you’re nominated.’”

Kacey, who’s poised to enter the Top 10 on the country charts with her debut single ‘Merry Go ‘Round,” will  be making her way to Las Vegas for the 48th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards, broadcasting live from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas April 7th on CBS.

AUDIO: Kacey Musgraves explains how she heard about her ACM nominations.

Kacey Musgraves (ACM nomination) OC: …you’re nominated.’ :10
“Well, my mom, she was in the hotel room with me, and she’s like on top of all that. I was getting ready in the bathroom, [and] she was like, ‘Kaceeeeyyyyyy, you’re nominated.’”

The video for Eric Church‘s “Like Jesus Does,” premiered Friday morning on Youtube and Vevo (see below). It’s the latest release from his platinum — and ACM nominated — album, Chief.

Kacey Musgraves is poised to enter the Top 10 on the country charts with her debut single “Merry Go ‘Round,” just earned her first ACM Awards nominations (for Female Vocalist, Music Video and New Female Vocalist of the Year), has appeared on a few national television shows (most recently Late Night With Jimmy Fallon) and has been on the road with Little Big Town on their Tornado Tour, picking up a bunch of fans as she goes. One of those fans is Eric Church, who seems to like and respect everything about the Texas songstress, especially the fact that her songs are so “musical.” “I like what she listens to. I like her taste in music,” raves Eric. “It just sounds different. It sounds fresh for country radio. It sounds like she’s in her spot already, and I think that’s the key as a new artist – you’ve got to find your lane, you’ve got to find your spot and don’t get out of it, and I think she’s off to at least a great start at being able to do that.”

The two will hit the road with Kenny Chesney on the No Shoes Nation Tour next month. Church will play many of the stadium dates on the trek, which kicks off March 16th in Tampa, Florida.

AUDIO: Eric Church raves about “Merry Go ‘Round” singer Kacey Musgraves and her music.

Eric Church (Kacey Musgraves) OC: …to do that. 1:04
“The main thing I like about Kacey is [her mu7sic] is very musical. There’s so many other things that go on in entertainment from television to stuff – whether it be what you look like or how you act, all these things. I love stuff that’s musical, regardless of anything else. And I feel like she’s somebody – she’s played a lot of bars, a lot of clubs, she’s done some stuff in Texas, she’s played those dives. I like what she listens to. I like her taste in music. I heard a song of hers – ‘My Idea of Heaven is to Burn One With John Prine,’ and I was sold when I heard that. I’m a huge Prine fan, so she had me then. I’m really good friends with her co-producer, Luke Laird. We’ve wrote songs together. ‘Drink in My Hand’ was our first number-one. It was written with Luke. And Luke’s the guy who said, ‘You would dig what we’re doing. You’d dig where this girl comes from. You’d dig her as a writer.’ A lot of it is just her personal taste and the kind of stuff I’m hearing. It just sounds different. It sounds fresh for country radio. It sounds like she’s in her spot already, and I think that’s the key as a new artist – you’ve got to find your lane, you’ve got to find your spot and don’t get out of it, and I think she’s off to at least a great start at being able to do that.”