Universal Universal Music Group Nashville Pressroom

Luke Bryan has been added to the list of performers at next month’s CMA Awards, along with Brad Paisley, Miranda Lambert and the Zac Brown Band. Previously announced performers include Dierks Bentley, Little Big Town, Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson.

Luke is up for two awards at this year’s CMAs. He makes his debut in the Male Vocalist category, and his second nod is for Album of the Year for tailgates & tanlines. “To be considered a vocalist is a huge honor, and then to put your heart and soul into a record and to have it get nominated for Album of the Year, it’s really special and makes all the hard work really stand out and really feel like it’s paying off,” says Luke. “It’s a big deal.”

The 46th Annual CMA Awards airs live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena November 1st beginning at 8pm ET on ABC.

AUDIO: Luke Bryan talks about his CMA nominations for Male Vocalist and Album of the Year.

Luke Bryan (CMA-new contender) OC: …big deal. :19
“To be considered a vocalist is a huge honor, and then to put your heart and soul into a record and to have it get nominated for Album of the Year, it’s really special and makes all the hard work really stand out and really feel like it’s paying off. It’s a big deal.”

Kelleigh Bannen is making her mark on the country charts with her debut single, “Sorry on the Rocks.” Here are both a :60 and :90 vignette/single spotlights.

In the opening strains of Little Big Town’s latest single, “Tornado,” there is a haunting whistle, and it is featured again at the end of the tune, as well. This isn’t an ordinary sound effect that can be found in any studio on Music Row. The whistling you hear is actually from LBT’s Kimberly Schlapman and Jimi Westbrook, who playfully tease each other about who is the better whistler. “There’s this little chamber, this tiny, little very, very extremely tall room, closet, in the studio where we cut this thing, and you had to crawl into a hole to get into this chamber. So, we got into this chamber, and we whistled,” says Kimberly. “We were king whistlers! So, we both got in there separately and whistled, and I think one of us is in the front of the song, and one of us is in the back…or one of us is both,” she laughingly jokes with Jimi.

Sweet Kimberly is also the person behind the evil-sounding laugh near the end of the song, as well, which happened accidentally. “While you were in there doing your whistle, you…laughed about something, and they captured all that recording, and you can hear this laugh off in the distance,” Phillip Sweet said to Kimberly, delightfully announced, “I’m wicked.”

“Tornado” is the follow-up to their previous two-week No. 1 hit, “Pontoon.”

AUDIO: Little Big Town reveal who does the whistling on their latest single, “Tornado.”

LBT (Tornado-whistle) 1 OC: (Kimberly) …I’m kidding. :39
KIMBERLY: “We both did it. We whistled.” JIMI: “I guess we are.” PHILLIP: “They whistled off in the chamber.” KIMBERLY: [WHISPERS] “It was all me.” [LAUGHS] JIMI: “Kimberly said it was all her.” KIMBERLY: “It was so fun. There’s this little chamber, this tiny, little very, very extremely tall room, closet, in the studio where we cut this thing, and you had to crawl into a hole to get into this chamber. So, we got into this chamber, and we whistled! We were like, we were, we were king whistlers! So, we both got in there separately and whistled, and I think one of us is in the front of the song, and one of us is in the back…or one of us is both. [JIMI LAUGHS] I’m kidding.”

AUDIO: Little Big Town’s Phillip Sweet and Jimi Westbrook talk about the “wicked laugh” on their latest single, “Tornado.”

LBT (Tornado-whistle) 2 OC: (Kimberly) …I’m wicked. [LAUGHTER] :13
PHILLIP: [To Kimberly] “While you were in there doing your whistle, you…laughed about something, and they captured all that recording, and you can hear this laugh off in the distance.” JIMI: “That wicked laugh on the track is Kimberly.” KIMBERLY: “That laugh. I’m wicked.” [LAUGHTER]

Nashville – (September, 26 2012) – Two-time CMA Award nominee and Platinum recording artist Luke Bryan will bring his fourth-annual “Farm Tour” 2012 through several southern states, including his home state of  Georgia, performing eight concerts in the month of October.  The shows will open with a couple of his best buddies the “Peach Pickers,” Dallas Davidson and Rhett Akins, as well as singer/songwriters Chancie Neal and Cole Swindell.

When the tour wraps on October 13 in Macon, Georgia, Bryan will have offered a total of 20 scholarships in its four-year run to students of farming families within the communities the tour has played.  The idea for the “Farm Tour” concerts came from Bryan as a way to give back to local farming communities by celebrating and lifting up the American Farmer and offering a fun escape with the outdoor shows. Proceeds from the concerts help to create the scholarships.

GAC will also be on hand for the fourth-consecutive year and will tape “Top 20” at the Sold-Out! Clemson, South Carolina show to air on Friday, October 12th.

Tickets are available at www.lukebryan.com/farmtour or at your local Harveys Supermarket.  Please check site for local ticket purchasing details as well.

“Farm Tour” 2012:

October 3     Claxton (Statesboro), GA  Longneedle Farm

October 4 **Clemson, SC                      Campus Beach
                                                                @ Clemson University

October 5      Auburn, AL                       Adams Farm

October 6      Valdosta, GA                    Valdosta Wake Compound

October 10    Villa Rica, GA                  V-Plex

October 11    Colbert (Athens), GA       Tucker Plantation

October 12    Tallahassee, FL                 Tallahassee Automobile Museum

October 13    Macon, GA                        Midway @ Central City Park

**Clemson is sold-out

“Farm Tour” 2012 is sponsored by COUNTRY Financial ®, Harveys  Supermarkets, BMI, GAC and Carl Black Chevrolet.

 Country superstar Luke Bryan has had quite a year, celebrating three back-to-back 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, GA native has achieved 5 career #1 singles and is currently on the road with Jason Aldean’s “My Kinda Party Tour,” in addition to headlining his own dates and gearing up for his upcoming “Farm Tour” 2012.  Luke is currently nominated for two CMA Awards, for “Male Vocalist of the Year,” as well as, “Album of the Year” for tailgates & tanlines.

AUDIO: Luke Bryan talks about taking his Farm Tour out for the fourth year in a row.

Luke Bryan (Farm Tour 2012) OC: …farm tour. :44
“The Farm Tour was kind of a small idea that I had, and now it’s grown into something really, really fun – 8 shows. We just love getting out in the fields. In each location, we pick the local college and give a scholarship to a kid that comes from a farming background, and we give them a scholarship to the college. And that’s the least that I feel that we can do to give back. You know, we come into these towns and the local law enforcement has to park all the cars and keep everybody safe, so we want to leave the place better than we found it. This is our fourth year into it, and it’s always been such a fun, positive event, and we’re loving being a part of it. We’re really blessed to have had success doing the farm tour.”

Little Big Town and Dierks Bentley are among the list of initial performers at this year’s CMA Awards. They’re joined by Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson who will take to the stage to perform at one of the country industry’s biggest nights of the year.

Little Big Town is up for three awards, including Vocal Group of the Year, as well as for Single and Video of the Year for their recent two-week No. 1 hit, “Pontoon.” Dierks Bentley also has three nominations, including Album of the Year for Home, and Single and Song of the Year for the title track, the No. 1 “Home.”

Tickets for the CMA Awards go on sale Saturday (September 29th) at 11am ET. The show will be broadcast live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena November 1st beginning at 8pm ET on ABC.

Thank you, radio and fans for another #1 smash hit with “Drunk On You.” Hear from Luke Bryan and the songwriters at Luke’s No. 1 party for “Drunk On You” at the CMA building in Nashville.

Little Big Town’s Tornado remains at the top of the Billboard Country Album chart. The new album sold another 50,000 copies to stay at No. 1 on the Country chart and at No. 5 on the overall chart (right behind Dave Matthews Band). Tornado debuted at the top of the Country album chart last week, selling nearly 113,000 during its first week of release.

The band approached recording the album in a totally different way from their previous offerings, especially with producer Jay Joyce at the helm. “It allowed us to be free and get lost in the music, and then we knew and trusted that Jay was going to be listening, and he would be the moderator of the feel,” says LBT’s Phillip Sweet. “We weren’t sitting there overthinking it while we were performing. We were lost in the performance.”

Little Big Town, who are appearing on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon tonight (Wednesday), are beginning to hit the airwaves with their latest single, the title track “Tornado.”

AUDIO: Little Big Town explain what it was like in the studio while recording their album, Tornado.

LBT (not overthinking recording) OC: …lost in the performance. 1:08
PHILLIP: “Everyone was laying down their parts together at the same time. It wasn’t like one person was sitting in the booth and this guy was sitting over here. We were all out there and could see one another in different ways and we were feeding off of each other. You didn’t want to be the one person who messed up that take. You wanted to give everything you had and give all your brain energy to that take, and everybody was doing it…” KIMBERLY: “Everybody was!” PHILLIP: “…at the same time, so you listen back and ‘Oh, that felt great. Let’s take it again.’ We wouldn’t stop and listen to it, and then we’d go again and then go again.” KIMBERLY: “And a lot of that was because of the leadership that Jay [Joyce] gave us. He was stirring everybody up and just keeping everybody on their toes, and he really was the leader of just a great energy and feel and…” KAREN: “Craziness.” KIMBERLY: “…craziness.” PHILLIP: “One thing I was about to say was it allowed us to be free and get lost in the music, and then we knew and trusted that Jay was going to be listening, and he would be the moderator of the feel, and if we were getting off-base then, but we weren’t sitting there overthinking it while we were performing. We were lost in the performance.”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 25, 2012

 “CAPITOL STREET PARTY 5: LUKE BRYAN TAKES BROADWAY” ANNOUNCES VIP EXPERIENCES FOR EVENT OCTOBER 17  

Capitol Street Party 5 moves to Lower Broadway with headliner Luke Bryan along with Kelleigh Bannen and Jon Pardi performing at the free and open to the public music event  

Nashville, TN – “Capitol Street Party 5: Luke Bryan Takes Broadway” will take place on Wednesday, October 17 at 7pm.  The event sponsored by Wrangler, Cricket Wireless, Middle Tennessee State University and William Morris Endeavor Entertainment will be offering Hard Rock Café VIP and Ultimate VIP Experiences this year (www.capitolnashvillevip.com).   

Starting at $100, there are two VIP experiences available including Hard Rock Café VIP and Ultimate VIP.  Both VIP Experiences include an exclusive VIP viewing area near the stage, private VIP restrooms, complimentary food and drinks, a VIP laminate, an exclusive event t-shirt and an autographed limited edition poster.  The Hard Rock Café Ultimate VIP Experience also includes reserved parking and a backstage meet & greet with Luke Bryan, Jon Pardi and Kelleigh Bannen.   

The free music event, which is open to the public, is moving from Demonbreun Street to Lower Broadway this year.  Live performances by superstar Luke Bryan and newcomers Kelleigh Bannen and Jon Pardi will literally take to the street, as a stage will be set up on Broadway between 1st and 2nd Avenues.  Bryan performed at the inaugural Street Party in 2007 and this year will mark the fourth time that he has participated in the event.  

Sponsors include Wrangler, Cricket Wireless, Middle Tennessee State University, William Morris Endeavor Entertainment, Carl Black Chevrolet, United States Marine Corps, Concrete / TEC Direct Media, The Tennessean, Coca-Cola, Miller Lite, and Live at LongHorn. Additional partnerships include: WSIX, WKDF, WSM, Whiskey Bent Saloon, Silver Dollar Saloon, and Bootleggers Inn. 

For information about “Capitol Street Party 5” check out www.facebook.com/capitolstreetparty. 

About Wrangler

Wrangler^® apparel is available nationwide in specialty stores, including work apparel chains, farm & fleet, and western stores, as well as through on-line and catalog retailers. To find a retailer or for more information on the Wrangler family of products visit www.Wrangler.com or call 888.784.8571. 

About Cricket Wireless

Cricket is the pioneer and leader in delivering innovative value-rich prepaid wireless services with no long-term contracts serving approximately 6 million customers. Cricket offers nationwide wireless voice and mobile data services over high-quality, all-digital wireless networks. Cricket’s innovative products and services, including the award-winning Muve Music® – the first music service designed for a wireless phone, are available nationwide at Cricket branded retail stores, dealers, national retailers and at www.mycricket.comFor more information about Cricket, please visit www.mycricket.com.

Middle Tennessee State University

Middle Tennessee State University, the state’s No. 1 choice for undergraduates and home also to a wide variety of master’s and doctoral degree programs, offers academic quality, affordable tuition and student-centered learning. MTSU’s College of Mass Communication, the fifth-largest in the nation, includes three signature departments – Electronic Media Communication, Journalism and Recording Industry – and specialty centers devoted to Popular Music and Innovation in Media. The university, located in Murfreesboro in the exact center of Tennessee, is about an half-hour’s drive southeast of Nashville. 

WME

William Morris Endeavor (also known as WME) is the largest and oldest global talent agency, with offices in Beverly Hills, New York City, Nashville, London, and Miami. WME represents artists from all facets of the entertainment industry, including Motion Pictures, Television, Music and Personal Appearances, Broadway Theatre and Theatrical Touring, Book Publishing, Physical Production, Commercial Endorsements, Sports Marketing, Corporate Consulting, Digital Media, and Video Games. WME also advises some of the world’s most recognized consumer brands to create “entertainment-based marketing solutions”. Industry breadth and diversity form the foundation of WME’s success. With its worldwide entertainment presence, the Agency is uniquely equipped to provide its clients with a global, cross-cultural perspective, introducing them to new and exciting opportunities in virtually every area of the media and entertainment industries. For more information about WME, please visit www.wmeentertainment.com.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Academy of Country Music held the 6th annual ACM Honors awards show Monday night at the Ryman Auditorium in downtown Nashville.

The show honored musicians, as well as industry leaders, and is a continuation of the Academy’s awards show held every April in Las Vegas.

Hundreds of fans lined 5th Avenue North in front of the Ryman Auditorium as stars arrived on the red carpet. Luke Bryan, Hunter Hayes and Dierks Bentley were among those who stopped to sign autographs, according to local CBS affiliate, NewsChannel 5.

“All these fans lined up, it’s going to be a pretty amazing night,” said Bentley, who also hosted the show.

Legendary performers like Ricky Skaggs were honored with the Cliffie Stone Pioneer Award.

“Oh, it’s well deserved. There’s no award that Ricky could get that wouldn’t be deserved,” Bentley said.

Dwight Yoakam also took home the honor of the Cliffie Stone Pioneer Award. Up and coming country artist Hunter Hayes paid tribute to Yoakam by performing one of his songs.

“I don’t know if I’m even going to be able to look at him I’m going to be so nervous. I’m just going to have to block it out for a minute, then look afterwards and make sure he’s cool with it,” Hayes said.

The legendary Yoakam was humbled to have Hayes perform in his honor.

“I told him, I said look you play way too many instruments and are way to good to be saddled with simple old tunes like you’re going to play tonight,” Yoakam said.

Luke Bryan took to the Ryman stage to honor his good friend Dallas Davidson. He was honored as the ACM Songwriter of the Year.

“Songs that he and I have written have changed my life, his life, making this night possible. So it’s really great to be here,” Bryan said.

Alan Jackson, Kenny Chesney and Vince Gill were just two of a long list of performers and musicians the Academy of Country Music honored Monday night.