Universal Universal Music Group Nashville Pressroom

Don Williams’ new video for “Imagine That” with Keith Urban went live on CMT.com. and you can see it on CMT Pure starting Wednesday evening at 8:30pm ET!

Lady Antebellum’s first Christmas special, On This Winter’s Night, on Wednesday night (December 5th) on GAC. The trio shot the special on Monday night (December 3rd) at Nashville’s Schermerhorn Symphony Center, and performed holiday favorites, which are featured on their new Christmas album, On This Winter’s Night, including “A Holly Jolly Christmas,” “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” “Blue Christmas,” “The First Noel,” “Christmas Baby,” “Silent Night,” “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” “Silver Bells,” “Let It Snow,” and “This Christmas,” in addition to the original “On This Winter’s Night.” Hillary, Charles and Dave will share personal Christmas memories and the trio will be joined by students from Nashville’s W.O. Smith Music School. The special will also re-air on December 6th and 8th.

Sidenote: Most of Dave Haywood‘s family, including his 91-year-old grandfather who made his first trip to Nashville, were in the audience for the show.

The band is also featured in the CMA Country Christmas special on December 20th at 9pm ET on ABC, than again on Dec. 22nd and Dec. 23rd!

AUDIO: Lady Antebellum’s Dave Haywood talks about his favorite Christmas gift.

Lady A (Dave-favorite Christmas gift) OC: (Charles) …cover, too. :14
DAVE: “My favorite Christmas gift was probably my very first guitar from my grandpa about 15 years ago. And more recently I got a red Gibson, that red one we use onstage was given to me from my dad years ago.” CHARLES: “It was on our first album cover too.”

Scotty McCreery releases a video for “Christmas Comin’ Round Again” from his new holiday album, Christmas With Scotty McCreery.

If you haven’t been to a Lady Antebellum show, now is your chance to watch it without having to get dressed up, find parking or ever leave your house. The band released their Own the Night World Tour DVD on Tuesday (December 4th), and the video, which is also available digitally and on Blu-ray, is more than just a concert; it also features documentary-style behind-the-scenes footage with the trio.

Lady A’s Hillary Scott says they’d hear from the fans constantly about a live DVD. “We would have people ask us all the time, whether it was in the meet-&-greet or on Twitter or on Facebook, like ‘When are y’all doing a live DVD? When are y’all doing it?,’” she says. “And so, we have a video camera with us everywhere, like kind of video-diaried our entire career up to this point.”

Charles Kelley says it’s also a way to get folks to “test-drive” a Lady A show. “I think it was a way to maybe even selfishly just try to promote future shows and say, ‘Guys, come check us out if you’ve ever wondered if you’d be into it,’” he explains. “Well, you can almost test-drive it; test-drive a Lady A show before you come watch.”

Lady A (live DVD) OC: …come watch. :39
HILLARY: “We would have people ask us all the time, whether it was in the meet-&-greet or on Twitter or on Facebook, like ‘When are y’all doing a live DVD? When are y’all doing it?’ And so, we have a video camera with us everywhere, like kind of video-diaried our entire career up to this point, and so to not get a full show in completion like that, I think we would’ve kicked ourselves down the road.”

CHARLES: “And we wanted too the people that didn’t come see us, a little part of what we’ve done. I mean, we’re really proud of this tour, and so, for us I think it was a way to maybe even selfishly just try to promote future shows and say, ‘Guys, come check us out if you’ve ever wondered if you’d be into it.’ Well, you can almost test-drive it; test-drive a Lady A show before you come watch.”

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Award-winning county star Darius Rucker heads to the west coast this week to appear on NBC’s The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on Wednesday, Dec. 5 at 11:35 p.m. ET.  Rucker will perform “True Believers,” the title track and lead single off Rucker’s forthcoming 2013 release.

On Saturday, Rucker will join Natasha Bedingfield, Colbie Caillat, host Joel McHale, Gary Sinise, and more to celebrate community ‘true believers’ at the 2012 American Giving Awards, airing Dec. 8 at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.

Available this spring, Rucker’s third country album, True Believers, explores new creative territory for the platinum-selling star as he continues to evolve as an artist.  The album also includes collaborations with Sheryl Crow, Dave Haywood, Mallary Hope, Charles Kelly, and Hillary Scott.

For information, images, tour dates, music and more, please visit www.DariusRucker.com.

Gary Allan is giving away a free download of his new hit single “Every Storm (Runs Out Of Rain)” as an incentive for fans to donate to the Red Cross.

Allan was scheduled to headline a show in Atlantic City the week Sandy hit.  The show, like many others in the northeast, was canceled due to the storm.  Allan shot the video for his new single just two weeks later in Nashville.  Shortly afterwards Allan and his team started to realize how timely his song was, and that it could be used as a tool to help others in need.  When disasters like Superstorm Sandy devastate communities, your support helps ensure the Red Cross is there to provide warm meals, shelter, and hope to families when they need it most. 

Allan said, “My song ‘Every Storm (Runs Out Of Rain)’ is about hope and light at the end of the tunnel. With the devastation in the northeast region by Sandy, I thought this song was extremely timely. I wanted to partner with the Red Cross on this because they have always offered hope for those in need.” 

The ‘donate to download’ widget features the NEW video for “Every Storm (Runs Out of Rain)”, a Donate button that directs you to The American Red Cross’s page with many ways to help support the cause, and a download link to get an exclusive acoustic version of the single.  Use this link when posting to socials:  http://mnt.st/Uc1XCT .

NASHVILLE – During a press conference to announce their new global charity initiative LadyAID™, Lady Antebellum was surprised today when CMA Chief Executive Officer Steve Moore presented the group with the CMA International Artist Achievement Award.

Formerly the International Touring Artist Award, the CMA International Artist Achievement Award recognizes outstanding achievement by a U.S.-based artist who contributes to the awareness and development of Country Music outside the United States.

“We’re so honored,” said Hillary Scott. “This year especially, being able to take our tour to Europe and then to Australia, and meet even more of our fans all over the world, and to take Country Music that far, we don’t take that lightly. We really, truly do want to make this town and the Country Music community proud when we go overseas and perform.”

“We wish Lady Antebellum much success as they help children around the world,” said Moore. “And it is because of their work around the globe as ambassadors of Country Music that we are presenting them with the International Artist Award.”

Lady Antebellum has sold more than 11 million albums worldwide. Their “Own the Night World Tour” staged performances in 11 countries for more than one million fans including sold out shows in Dublin, London, Toronto, and three-nights at the famed Sydney Opera House. The trio’s first world tour also earned Billboard’s all-genre “Breakthrough Award” at the 2012 Billboard Touring Awards for its total ticket sales and other touring data.

The group are multiple-award winners including most recently the 2012 CCMA International Best Selling Album Award (Canada). They were nominated for the 2012 Brit Award for Best International Group (UK). They received a CMC Music Award nomination for International Artist of the Year (Australia) as well as the 2011 Juno Award for International Album of the Year (Canada).

Among their many international accomplishments, their hit “Need You Now” went to No. 1 in Brazil, Mexico, New Zealand, and Switzerland; and Top 5 in more than 20 countries. The album was certified Triple Platinum (Canada); Double Platinum (South Africa); Platinum (Australia and New Zealand); and Gold (China, Ireland, Taiwan, and UK). 

Lady Antebellum was certified Platinum (Canada) and Own the Night has been certified Platinum in Canada and Gold in Australia and South Africa.

Previous winners of the CMA International Artist Achievement Award include:

AUDIO: Lady Antebellum’s Hillary Scott and Charles Kelley talk about their CMA International Artist Achievement Award.

Lady A (CMA International Award) OC: (Charles) …hopefully proud. :49
HILLARY: “We’re so honored to receive this award, especially this year really started to feel like we were touring a little bit more globally than we have before. This European tour and then Australian tour this year were beyond our wildest dreams. I mean, we had such an amazing time, and I think that gives us a perspective to see outside of just these borders here in America. It’s all been culminating over the past 12 months of us really feeling like we have a platform and we need to use it.”

CHARLES: “We feel like our voice has grown so much more and our fan base has grown so much more, and they’re so much more diverse, and to see the CMAs get behind us like that with their support is pretty humbling. We’ve got big shoes to fill, and we’re gonna try to make everybody here in Nashville and our fans hopefully proud.”

Nashville, TN – Dec. 3, 2012 – GRAMMY winning trio Lady Antebellum announced today their new charitable initiative called LadyAID™, a philanthropic effort created to bring awareness to and generate support for children in need locally, nationally and globally.

The multi-level organization will reach children across the state of Tennessee through grants to Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®.  On a national level, Lady Aid is supporting Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals and on a global level, myLIFEspeaks and The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). The LadyAID™ Fund is a component fund of The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, who will help the band with the facilitation of their charity.

“The opportunity to play music on stages all around the world has given us so much happiness,” said Lady A’s Dave Haywood. “By establishing LadyAID™, we’re going to be able to put a new focus on accomplishing an off-stage goal we have as a band, which is to help children in need.”

“There are children all over the world who are suffering because they don’t have the resources to get the help they need,” added Hillary Scott. “My heart has specifically been lead to the children of Haiti.  By partnering with organizations like UNHCR and Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, we’ve already seen children be given access to medical care they wouldn’t otherwise have in their country.  It’s so inspiring, and anything we can do to help that cause, we’re going to do.”

“We’ve witnessed firsthand what these organizations are doing to help kids and their families. I’ve been personally touched by the children’s hospital visits we’ve made around the US over the last few years,” noted Charles Kelley. “We hope that with the help of our fans, we can all combine our energy and resources to help provide some relief to these families.”

LadyAID™ will be funded by donations and fundraising efforts including the trio’s inaugural PING PONG & SONGS event.  Inspired by a combination of the band’s favorite backstage hobby and their love of songwriting, the event will be held in early 2013.

Lady Antebellum recently wrapped their headlining tour that was awarded Billboard’s “Breakthrough Award” and traveled across the US, Canada, Europe and Australia, where the GRAMMY winning trio was welcomed by over one million fans in 11 countries on three continents. Lady A sold out shows in top markets including Los Angeles, Chicago, two nights in New York City, Toronto, London, three nights at Sydney’s Opera House and even had a chance to open a sold out show at London’s Hard Rock Calling for one of their idols Bruce Springsteen. The group’s current album OWN THE NIGHT debuted at the No. one position on Billboard’s Top 200 and has spawned two No. one hits “We Owned The Night” and “Just A Kiss.” The trio has sold over 11 million albums across the globe, scored seven GRAMMY Awards and tallied six No. one hits.

On Monday night (December 3rd) in celebration of their Christmas album ON THIS WINTER’S NIGHT, the trio will create an unforgettable night of holiday music and their biggest hits at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville. The event is being filmed for a television special by the same name that will air on GAC this Wednesday (December 5th) at 8pm ET and in more than 45 countries around the world between now and the end of the year.

About Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital At Vanderbilt:

The Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt is nationally recognized as a leading provider of pediatric health care services. Children’s Hospital is ranked as one of the top children’s hospitals in the nation by U.S. News & World Report magazine in the specialty areas of Urology, Neonatology, Pulmonology, Diabetes and Endocrinology, Cancer, Cardiology and Heart Surgery, Gastroenterology, Nephrology, Neurology and Neurosurgery and Orthopaedics. Children’s is also ranked 15th in the nation by Parents magazine.  A 271–bed facility, Children’s Hospital provides the region’s highest level of pediatric care and is also a top-level teaching and research facility.

About St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital:

Since opening 50 years ago, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital has changed the way the world treats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. No family ever pays St. Jude for the care their child receives and, for every child treated here, thousands more have been saved worldwide through St. Jude discoveries. The hospital has played a pivotal role in pushing U.S. pediatric cancer survival rates from 20 to 80 percent overall, and is the first and only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted to children. It is also a leader in the research and treatment of blood disorders and infectious diseases in children. St. Jude was founded by the late entertainer Danny Thomas, who believed that no child should die in the dawn of life.

About Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals:

Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals® raises funds for 170 nonprofit children’s hospitals across North America, which, in turn, use the money where it’s needed the most. When a donation is given it stays in the community, helping local kids. Since 1983, Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals has raised more than $4 billion, most of it $1 at a time. These donations support research and training, purchase equipment and pay for uncompensated care, all in support of our mission to save and improve the lives of as many children as possible.

About The UN Refugee Agency – UNHCR :

The UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, is on the front lines of the world’s most pressing humanitarian crises.  UNHCR was established on December 14, 1950, by the United Nations General Assembly. Its primary purpose is to safeguard the rights and well-being of refugees and other people displaced by war, conflict and persecution. Today, UNHCR helps nearly 34 million people, of which 80% are women and children. UNHCR strives to ensure that everyone can exercise their basic human right to seek asylum, find safe refuge in another country, and eventually a permanent home. UNHCR also has a mandate to help stateless people, or people who are not recognized as a citizen of any country.  Over the past six decades, the agency has helped millions of people restart their lives and has won two Nobel Peace Prizes. UNHCR works to provide primary education and job skills to youth to help keep them safe from forced recruitment, sexual exploitation and smuggling. UNHCR aims to provide a better future for the world’s most vulnerable.

About myLIFEspeaks:

myLIFEspeaks exists to speak up for those around the world who can’t speak for themselves by bringing LIFE-giving aid to orphans with and without special needs and showing all people around the globe their worth.  This happens by allowing orphans with special needs and typical orphans the opportunity to grow up together in the same family environment–what we call our Campus Family.  When myLIFEspeaks began, our hopes and dreams were to be able to make a difference in one village in Haiti–a village called, Neply.  As our mission statement says, we exist to SPEAK UP for those who can’t SPEAK for themselves.  This phrase has quickly become more than a mission statement…it is our way of LIFE.  Daily in Neply we work to EMPOWER FAMILIES to LIVE LIFE together.  We are active in the community providing Pregnant Mother Care, an Infant Feeding Program, a Feeding Program for school-age children, and the cornerstone of what we do–our Mentor Program.  We believe that Neply will change through education and HOPE…and our commitment is to be there to see this change happen. 

About The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee:

The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee oversees more than 850 charitable funds, one of which is the LadyAid™ Fund, providing customized philanthropic solutions with flexibility for donors, nonprofit organizations and the community. In the past 21 years, The Community Foundation has distributed more than $600 million to community programs and institutions. 

For more information on LadyAID, visit www.LadyAID.org or www.ladyantebellum.com.

AUDIO: Lady Antebellum’s Charles Kelley says the one aspect the band always agreed on was to help children in need, which is the focus of their new Lady Aid initiative.

Lady A (Lady Aid) 1 OC: …into one. :24
“The one thing we always agreed on was helping kids. There’s just so much need out there, and I think any kid in need hits home to all of us and is something we can all agree is something that doesn’t need to happen. So, we try to bring as much help to kids globally and internationally an nationally here and locally, and try to collect all of these efforts into one.”

Lady A (Lady Aid) 2 OC: …to do it. :31
“There’s a lot of things we love to give to, but this was kind of the one umbrella organization that we can start as a band and this will be the way we could do a fundraiser, raise funds and then donate to these specific charities. After visiting the Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, it’s really cool to be able to have an organization we can give directly to them, directly to My Life Speaks, the U.N. and Children’s Miracle Network. So, for us, this is a way that we can do it all in one place and have one kind of joint effort to do it.”

MIAMI LAKES, Fla. (www.orangebowl.org) – The Orange Bowl has announced that Dr Pepper is bringing platinum recording country music star Luke Bryan to headline the Bud Light Championship Game Day Fan Zone presented by Allstate on January 7th, 2013 . Bryan’s performance outside Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla., will cap off a day of fun activities for fans leading up to the 2013 Discover BCS National Championship Game.

Bryan, a Dr Pepper-sponsored artist who recently picked up his first American Music Award as “Favorite Male Country Artist,” has had quite the year celebrating three back-to-back double Platinum singles, “Country Girl (Shake It For Me),” “I Don’t Want This Night To End” and “Drunk On You,” all from his Platinum-certified album, tailgates & tanlines. The Leesburg, Georgia native has achieved six career No. 1 singles as his current single “Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye” has remained on top of the charts for 3 consecutive weeks while Bryan’s tailgates & tanlines album has remained a Top 5 album for all of 2012.  Bryan will launch his first major headline tour in 2013, the “Dirt Road Diaries Tour,” launching January 17.

The Bud Light Championship Game Day Fan Zone will take place on January 7, 2013 from 1:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. in the parking lots across from Gates G & H of Sun Life Stadium. In addition to Bryan’s musical performance, fans will enjoy interactive games and exhibits, a wide variety of food and beverages and performances by team bands, cheerleaders and local talent. Admission to the Bud Light Championship Game Day Fan Zone is $30 and is not included in the ticket price for the 2013 Discover BCS National Championship Game. 

Artists who have performed at previous Bud Light Game Day Fan Zones have included Little Big Town, All American Rejects, Smash Mouth, Collective Soul and Kevin Rudolph.

For tickets to the Bud Light Championship Game Day Fan Zone please visit the Orange Bowl’s official website, www.orangebowl.org or call 305-341-4701.

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About the Orange Bowl
The Orange Bowl is a 348-member, primarily-volunteer non-profit sports organization that promotes and serves the South Florida community. The Orange Bowl Festival features a year-round schedule of events culminating with the Discover Orange Bowl on January 1, 2013 and the Discover BCS National Championship on January 7, 2013. Other Orange Bowl core events include the MetroPCS Orange Bowl Basketball Classic, Orange Bowl Youth Football Alliance presented by Sports Authority, Orange Bowl International Tennis Championships, Orange Bowl Sailing Regatta Series and Orange Bowl Paddle Championships. For more information on the 2012-13 Orange Bowl Festival and its events, including promotional and volunteer opportunities through the Ambassador Program, log on to www.orangebowl.org.

From USA Today:
Gary Allan offers a story of hope in the video for his new single, Every Storm (Runs Out of Rain). And the country singer hopes to use the video, premiering exclusively at USA TODAY, to encourage fans to donate to the Red Cross for victims of Hurricane Sandy.

Allan was supposed to play Atlantic City the weekend the hurricane hit. “Obviously, that got canceled,” he says. “Two weeks later, we shot the video, and it all seemed to make sense.”

Allan wrote Every Storm (Runs Out of Rain) with Matt Warren and Hillary Lindsey, who sings harmony on the track and is part of Allan’s band in the video. “She’s one of the most creative people I’ve ever been around,” Allan says.

The initial idea, though, came from Warren. “He was weedeating and a rock banked off his Weed Eater, hit him in the forehead and he ended up cut,” Allan says. “He said he kept thinking, ‘Every storm runs out of rain,’ so he wrote it down and brought it over.”

Every Storm (Runs Out of Rain) is the first single from Allan’s forthcoming Set You Free album, due next year. The single is one of four tracks Allan produced himself. Mark Wright produced four additional tracks, as did Jay Joyce, known for his work with Eric Church and Little Big Town.

“Instead of doing it all at once, we recorded it over a year and a half,” says Allan, who released his last album, Get Off on the Pain, in 2010. “Doing it in small batches will probably be my new way to cut. When you cut 10 or 12 songs, you end up with a couple of album cuts. But nobody wanted the album cuts; everybody was competing for the single with their songs.”