Universal Universal Music Group Nashville Pressroom

ENCINO, CA (March 26, 2012) – The Academy of Country Music announced today that chart-topping country music star Darius Rucker will host the ACM Lifting Lives® Celebrity Golf Classic on Saturday, March 31, 2012 as part of The Week Vegas Goes Country® – the week leading up to the 47th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards, a star-studded event produced for television by dick clark productions that will be broadcast LIVE from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas Sunday, April 1, 2012 at 8:00 PM live ET/delayed PT on the CBS Television Network. The following night Rucker will join an all-star ensemble for ACM Presents: Lionel Richie and Friends – In Concert, the once-in-a-lifetime concert event taping Monday, April 2, 2012 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Rucker will collaborate with the legendary Lionel Richie for a performance of “Stuck On You.” The special will air Friday, April 13, 2012 on the CBS Television Network.

The Golf Classic—the sixth held since 2004—brings together country music artists, record label executives and other members of the music community in a star-studded scramble tournament to raise funds and awareness for ACM Lifting Lives’ Diane Holcomb Emergency Relief Fund, which provides immediate relief to those in need in the music industry.

Rucker, an avid golfer, has been very involved with ACM Lifting Lives. In 2011, on the 46th Annual Awards telecast, he performed the original song “Music From the Heart” with campers from the ACM Lifting Lives Music Camp, to bring awareness to a national audience about those with developmental disabilities. Rucker also penned the song “Together, Anything is Possible” to raise money for the PGA’s charitable initiatives.

“After a three year break, I’m delighted the tournament will take place again and that Darius will host,” said Gayle Holcomb, who donated seed money to the Diane Holcomb Emergency Relief Fund in 2006, in honor of her mother. “The industry has been served by the Fund in so many ways we don’t publicize, helping music industry professionals when they need it most, meeting private financial urgent needs.”

“ACM Lifting Lives is honored to have Darius host the 2012 ACM Lifting Lives Celebrity Golf Classic,” said Lisa Huddleson, Executive Director for ACM Lifting Lives. “His continued generosity and support of our organization has been instrumental in our growing success and his golf game is sure to challenge his fellow country artists.”

The golf tournament will exclusively cater to a golfers at TPC Las Vegas, a par 71, 7,063-yard golf course designed by architect Bobby Weed and player consultant Raymond Floyd. The TPC Las Vegas Golf Course is recognized as a Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary by the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary System. Featuring stunning views of Red Rock Canyon and the famed Las Vegas skyline, the course is located within the nation’s largest master-planned community of Summerlin and is just minutes from the world-famous Las Vegas strip.

About ACM Lifting Lives

ACM Lifting Lives® is the philanthropic arm of the Academy of Country Music dedicated to improving lives through the power of music. Each year, ACM Lifting Lives provides grants to music therapy and music education programs. Other giving includes serving members of the country music community who face unexpected medical or financial hardship through the Diane Holcomb Emergency Relief Fund and partnering with artists to improve lives through music. Since 2009, the ACM Lifting Lives on-stage moment has raised over $200,000 for designated charities. Downloads and direct donations of Toby Keith’s performance on the 45th annual telecast, and Darius Rucker’s performance on the 46th annual telecast raised funds and awareness for Wounded Warrior Project and Vanderbilt Kennedy Center respectively. For more information, please visit www.ACMLiftingLives.org.

Alan Jackson is set to re-release his 2006 gospel album, Precious Memories, on Tuesday (March 27th). The country superstar, who grew up in the church singing many of the songs that appear on the album, says he wanted to put it out again, because there are no more copies to be found. “We just had so many people still wanting it. It’s just amazing,” says Alan. “That thing has sold and sold, and so, when I got over [to EMI Nashville]…we decided that we’d get it out there, see if anybody else wants it still.” Precious Memories includes many gospel favorites, such as “I’ll Fly Away,” “The Old Rugged Cross,” “Softly and Tenderly,” “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” and “How Great Thou Art.” 

Alan says he would like to do a second gospel album for his mother and mother-in-law. “I still want to do another one,” he says. “My mama, she’s getting pretty elderly now and doesn’t get out much, but I’d really like to do another version of that for her, and especially my wife’s mama. She’s older than my mother, but she actually gets around better. She loves that thing, and [laughs] would love to have another version with some more new songs, so I need to do that. It doesn’t take but a minute to record that thing.” 

The country superstar is currently making his way up the country charts with his latest hit, “So You Don’t Have to Love Me Anymore.” He’ll perform the single when he appears on NBC’s Tonight Show With Jay Leno on Friday (March 30th). 

AUDIO: Alan Jackson explains why he is re-releasing his 2006 gospel album, Precious Memories. 

AJ (Precious Memories Rerelease) OC: …wants it still. :27

“When I was with Sony, we…did that deal together. It was a co-deal, where it was on half my label and half theirs, and I guess I ended up with the rights to the album, basically. So, when the deal ran out, they didn’t produce any more records, so basically you couldn’t buy it anymore, and we just had so many people still wanting it. It’s just amazing. That thing has sold and sold, and so, when I got over [to EMI Nashville], Mike Dungan, we decided that we’d get it out there, see if anybody else wants it still.” 

AUDIO: Alan Jackson says he’d like to record a second gospel album, especially for his mother and mother-in-law. 

AJ (wants to do another gospel album) OC: …do that. :24

“I still want to do another one. My mama, she’s getting pretty elderly now and doesn’t get out much, but I’d really like to do another version of that for her, and especially my wife’s mama. She’s older than my mother, but she actually gets around better. She loves that thing, and [laughs] would love to have another version with some more new songs, so I need to do that. It doesn’t take but a minute to record that thing, it’s so simple, you know. I need to get in and do that.” 

Alan Jackson says he’s been singing songs like those found on Precious Memories since he was a kid…which set the stage for his career in music. 

AJ (Gospel) OC: …as a singer. :37

“I’d stand up and sing when the congregation was singing out of the hymn book, but…some of those melodies are a little tricky for a kid unless you knew the song real well. But I don’t remember thinking much about it. Everybody just stood up—if you didn’t stand up, you know, everybody was staring at you…so you had to stand up and act like you were singing anyway! But I went on to sing as a teenager. They had some organizations and choirs, and I remember singing in those some. And those were some of the early development for me as a singer, and that was probably the early days of getting a little confidence as a singer. The church and the activities that went with it affected me as a singer.”

Capitol Nashville country foursome, Little Big Town — consisting of members Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Phillip Sweet and Jimi Westbrook — will perform the Lionel Richie mega-hit, “Deep River Woman,” with Richie on NBC’s Today Show Tuesday (March 27th) during the 8:30am hour. 

The rootsy version of the Richie classic is featured on Tuskegee (in stores March 26th), Lionel’s latest album and new collection of duets featuring country stars.

AUDIO: A few months ago, Little Big Town’s Jimi Westbrook and Karen Fairchild explain being in the studio with Lionel Richie was one of the best experiences of their career, and how they want to perform live with him some day – well, that day is here. The band will be performing “Deep River Woman” on NBC’s Today Show on Tuesday (March 27th).

LBT (Lionel Richie) 2 OC: (Jimi) …be fun. :52

Jimi: There’s no other voice that’s such an identifiable voice, just the little adlibs when we were in there and it’s come in my head phones and I’d look at him and be like, ‘That’s Lionel Richie.’ He would just grin.” Karen: We even told him a few times…he would ask, ‘Do you guys want to take this?’ And we were like, ‘No, you take it.’ And he goes, ‘That’s right, I should take it, right?’”Jimi: “‘I’m Lionel Richie.’” [laughs] Karen: “‘I’m Lionel Richie, maybe I should take it.’” [laughs]  We were like, don’t push yourself all the way out of the song; he kept wanting us to sing.  He was like ‘Y’all sing! Y’all do your thing.’ And he gave us complete freedom.” Jimi: “It was really one of the best experiences that this band has had for sure.” Karen: “He’s a gentle man.” Jimi: “Just really funny, and he’s got so many great stories. Just sitting around and talking about his years in the business, it’s just crazy.” Karen: “We want to sing it with him live.” Jimi: “Yeah, that’d be fun.” 

Little Big Town are among the artists who are featured on Lionel Richie’s new album, Tuskeegee, which is being released on Monday (March 26th). The quartet was able to duet with the iconic singer on one of their favorite songs, “Deep River Woman.” It was an experience of a lifetime being in the studio with him. “We grew up on his music, I had his cassettes and I wore them out,” says Kimberly Schlapman. “I loved, loved, Lionel Richie and The Commodores, we all did.” The album also features Jason Aldean, Blake Shelton, Tim McGraw, Rascal Flatts, Kenny Rogers and many others. 

LBT have been putting the finishing touches on their new album, due out later this year, and you can catch them on Sunday (April 1st) performing as part of the ACM Lifting Lives segment on the ACM Awards beginning at 8pm ET/delayed PT on CBS.

AUDIO: Little Big Town talk about recording with the iconic Lionel Richie.

Little Big Town (Lionel Richie) OC: (Phillip) …gotten better. 1:05

Kimberly: “We grew up on his music, I had his cassettes and I wore them out.  I loved, loved, Lionel Richie and the Commodores, we all did.” Jimi: “I was a huge Commodores fan when I was a kid.” Kimberly: “My first boyfriend gave me the Commodores greatest hits on a big old vinyl…” Karen: “You saw Tony who was producing the record, and he asked…” Kimberly: “I saw Tony and he asked, Tony Brown, he really wanted us to be a part of the record.  Would we please consider and I was like, ‘Oh yeah, heck yeah, we will. I’ll go beat them in to submission if I need to.” So, I talk to everybody and we were all really interested, and it was just a matter if we could work it out, schedule-wise, and what song would we do. I think we got to do the perfect song in his whole catalog. We were able to do ‘Deep River Woman,’ which perfectly fit us. And, oh gosh, when we got in the studio with him, he was so generous with us and kind and genuine and was so complimentary of our sound, and then he opens his voice and it’s that voice that takes you back to junior high school.” Phillip: “He does those signature things that only his voice can do. He sounds so good, he’s only gotten better.”

The 47th Annual Academy Country Music Awards will be broadcast live from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 1st, beginning at 8pm ET/delayed PT on CBS. Watch for performances by Keith Urban, Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Dierks Bentley, Little Big Town and many more. We will continue to roll out soundbites with our nominees and performers leading up to the ACM Awards. 

Eric Church is nominated for both Album of the Year for Chief and Music Video of the Year for “Homeboy.” He’s currently scaling the country charts with “Springsteen,” the third single from his ACM-nominated Chief.

AUDIO: Eric Church says “Homeboy” is his favorite video.

Eric Church (Homeboy video) OC: …rest of it. :25

“I love the video. It’s my favorite video. I think Peter Zavidil, the director, did a fantastic job. I mean I love the way he shot it. I love the actor, the kid in the video, and I told Peter I would do every video with you if you keep writing treatments like this. I had to be there for about an hour, and that’s it, two hours, I mean videos are never like that. I said “You really know how to get an artist to fall in love with you.” I just had to go in and perform, and he took care of the rest of it.”

AUDIO: Eric Church talks about his ACM-nominated video for “Homeboy.”

Eric Church (Homeboy video) 2 OC: …love that shot.  :24

“Seeing the story line develop, and being in the place, I mean I’ve been there. I was feeling the stuff the kid was feeling, that despair. I think we have all been in places like that. It just came across great. I love the lighting. I love the angles. I love the slow motion. The slow motion is one of the coolest things. There’s a scene with a match where he lights a match and throws it at the camera, and you can see the match extinguish itself, in super, super, super slow motion. I love that shot.”

AUDIO: Eric Church says the Tennessee State Prison, the location where the video for “Homeboy” was shot, lent itself to the feeling of the clip.

Eric Church (heaviness of Homeboy video) OC: …there, you know? :25

“It’s my second video here, at the Tennessee State Prison. We shot ‘Lightning’ here off the first record, so I’ve been here twice now. It’s just a heavy place, which I like. And I know as musicians, you pick up on energy when you write songs and when you perform, and I think the same thing happens when you shoot videos in a place that’s got a little bit of heaviness. It certainly happened with ‘Lightning.’ And there’s a little bit of heaviness in ‘’Homeboy,’ in the message, and I like that heaviness. I don’t know if some people would listen to that and pick up on that, but there’s a little bit of that there, you know?”

AUDIO: Eric Church talks about making his ACM-nominated album, Chief. 

Eric Church (making of Chief) OC: …its heartbeat. :59

“We have built our career on the backs of our fans. We have not cared what else was going on around us. The other thing, we went and played shows, and we have given those fans the keys to this vehicle, and we said, ‘Drive it!’ And they have told people about it, and they’ve spread the word, and they’ve preached that gospel, and they’ve just become an army out there. This record when we made it, it needed, for me, to sound like a live show. It needed to sound like we had recorded it live, like you were watching something that we didn’t rehearse, that we didn’t think out. And there’s so many tracks on this record, where I am interacting with the musicians, because I am in the room with them, and either I will sing a melody line or the guitar will be playing a melody line, and we’ll pick up on each other, and it will turn into this little jam moment. And that is where the magic happens. We didn’t plan it, we didn’t talk about it, there’s as much unrehearsed magic on this record as we’ve ever had. There’s a lot of mistakes on it, and I think that’s part of a live show. We mess up every night live, and we talk about it after a show. We left it on this record. Those mistakes are in there, and I think that’s what gives it its heartbeat.”

Eric Church explains why he took time off the road to write most of the songs for his ACM-nominated album, Chief. 

Eric Church (taking time to write) OC: …in that cabin. 1:09

“Well, it’s the first time taking a month off to write this record; it’s the first time I’ve taken a month off in the middle of any kind of touring season in a long time…ever. And it was for me, I thought it was time, and we, I put so much into the record making process, every time we do it, I empty the tank doing it. And this time, two records in, I felt like our career had really got to a point that, it had gotten to the next level, I wanted to make a record that was indicative to that. The only way I knew how to do that, was to pause, and just take time, and figure out where we go from there. That month in the cabin, there was no television, cell phone service, which in the middle of football season is brutal. I spent a lot of time at a local bar [laughs] in Banner Elk [laughs]. But I sat there with co-writers, got them out of their element, and sometimes we’d write a song at 3 am, sometimes we would write a song at 7am, sometimes we didn’t write a song, we’d just ride around and drink beer in a four wheeler. It was really, really cool to just let the creative process, just un-harness it, and let the creative process flow. I think that “unharnessed” really became part of what the record was. It just is, there’s no rules. It’s unchained, it’s loose, it’s wild, and I think that started in that cabin.”

The 47th Annual Academy Country Music Awards will be broadcast live from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 1st, beginning at 8pm ET/delayed PT on CBS. Watch for performances by Keith Urban, Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Dierks Bentley, Little Big Town and many more. We will continue to roll out soundbites with our nominees and performers leading up to the ACM Awards.

Lady Antebellum reeled in five nominations, including Vocal Group of the Year, an honor they’ve won the past two years. Band members Charles Kelley, Hillary Scott and Dave Haywood are also nominated for album of the year as artists and producers of Own the Night. They also received double nominations in the song and video of the year categories for “Just a Kiss.” 

AUDIO: Lady Antebellum’s Hillary Scott discusses how Own The Night documents specific moments in life that shape the person you become. 

Lady A (theme of OTN) OC: …who you are, you know? :20 

HS: “The theme that I’ve kind of seen throughout it is a lot of these songs are about very specific moments in time. It’s not just an overall emotion or an overall feeling that’s portrayed in a song, It’s just very specific to moments that throughout your life end up defining who you are.” 

AUDIO: Lady Antebellum’s Hillary Scott explains the band’s personal connection to their recent No. 1 hit, “Just a Kiss.” 

Lady A (Just a Kiss) OC: …personal experience. :25

“The song, we pulled from our own personal experience with Charles [Kelley] meeting his wife and the first night he met his now-wife and the magic that was there and how the restraint he knew to have because she was something special. And that’s a lot like where I’m in my life too with recently engaged and really in love and blissfully happy. So, it’s all from personal experience.” 

AUDIO: Lady Antebellum’s Hillary Scott talks about writing their recent No. 1 hit, “Just a Kiss.” 

Lady Antebellum (writing JAK) OC: …first single. :38

“I’ll never forget the day we wrote our single, ‘Just a Kiss,’ because we were actually already in the recording process of this third album. The guys were over at Dallas Davidson’s in his writing room, and I was in the vocal booth actually singing a vocal on another one of the songs on the album. And so, Charles called and said, ‘Hillary, I know you’re singing, but you’ve got to get over here. We started something that we really think is special.’ And so I drove down Music Row and hopped in the writing room with the boys, and we wrote it and loved it, and unanimously felt that it was something really special and could most likely be our first single.”

As you may know, after an overwhelming number of heartfelt submissions, Henryville High School in Indiana was chosen as the winner of Lady Antebellum‘s Prom Contest. Charles, Hillary and Dave were so moved by this community’s story that they have decided to put on a charity event to raise money and help rebuild Henryville! Tickets to the Rebuilding Henryville Charity Ball on May 16th in Louisville, Kentucky are set to go on sale Friday (April 27th) at 10am through Ticketmaster.  All ticket sale proceeds will go to the Tornado Relief Efforts in Henryville, Indiana. 

The members of Lady A enjoyed their individual high school proms, complete with DJs and dancing. “I remember my first prom being very nervous, and I got all dressed up [in] a nice little tux, first time I ever wore a tux, and it was very exciting,” recalls Charles. He and Dave Haywood both attended the same high school down in Georgia, and Dave remembers his fellow band member and friend taking charge of the tunes. “We had a DJ at ours,” says Dave. “I think Charles probably got over there and DJ’d a couple of Toni Braxton songs or something at some point in time.” Too bad Charles didn’t DJ Hillary’s prom, but she hit the dance floor nonetheless. “One of my memories of high school prom was ‘The Cupid Shuffle,’” she remembers. “Any of those dances where everybody gets out on the dance floor and just has a blast with, that’s honestly what I remember; that and ‘The Electric Slide.’” 

Lady A are closing in on the top of the country charts with a “prom-worthy” song, “Dancin’ Away With My Heart.” As a matter of fact, high school junior Lauren Alaina found a creative way to enjoy her own prom weekend, even though she’s on the road opening for Sugarland. During her set in Louisville on April 14th, Lauren plucked a dance partner out of the audience and made everyone at the show slow dance to “Dancin’ Away With My Heart.” “Tonight was my prom at home,” Alaina revealed before the song. “So, I’m going to have prom here right now!”

AUDIO: Lady Antebellum’s Charles Kelley talks about his first prom. 

Lady A (Charles prom) OC: …that night. :13

“I remember my first prom being very nervous, and I got all dressed up [in] a nice little tux, first time I ever wore a tux, and it was very exciting. I didn’t rock the top hat, but [I] looked sharp that night.” 

AUDIO: Lady Antebellum’s Dave Haywood talks about his high school prom. 

Lady A (Dave prom) OC: …point in time. [Hillary laughs] :15

“I’m just happy somebody said yes to go with me to prom, so I was happy to be there. Yeah, a lot of great memories. We had a DJ at ours – Charles and I were in the same class back in Augusta, Georgia – and had a great time. I think Charles probably got over there and DJ’d a couple of Toni Braxton songs or something at some point in time.” [Hillary laughs] 

AUDIO: Lady Antebellum’s Hillary Scott recalls a memory of her high school prom. 

Lady A (Hillary prom) OC: …Electric Slide. :16

“One of my memories of high school prom was ‘The Cupid Shuffle.’ We might try our best to cover it. No, I’m just kidding. [laughs] I don’t think we could cover a very good version of ‘The Cupid Shuffle.’ But any of those dances where everybody gets out on the dance floor and just has a blast with, that’s honestly what I remember; that and ‘The Electric Slide.’”

Eric Church’s latest single, “Springsteen,” is a huge hit, and fans are relating to the song, which explains that a song, a concert or a particular artist takes a person back to a moment in time. While Eric certainly looks up to Bruce Springsteen and enjoys his music, he’s not saying whether or not the inspiration behind the song is actually The Boss. “I’ll never say…’cause that’s mine, you know? I’m always, I’m gonna keep that artist. I’ve never said it wasn’t [Bruce] Springsteen, I just never said it was,” he says with a laugh. “I mean, it could be [Bob] Seger, it could be [John] Mellencamp, it could be a number of artists that became the soundtrack to that point, to that moment in time. And I want everybody to be able to apply it. I mean, the title of the song is ‘Springsteen,’ but what I love about it is it’s not a tribute song. It’s not about Springsteen. It’s about that artist, whatever that artist is, becoming the soundtrack for the love or the person you’re with.”

Catch Eric performing live on this year’s ACM Awards, where he’s up for both Album of the Year for Chief and Video of the Year for “Homeboy.” The 47th Annual ACM Awards will be broadcast live from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 1st beginning at 8pm ET/delayed PT on CBS.

AUDIO: While his latest hit “Springsteen” is based on personal experience, Eric Church says he’s not revealing whether Bruce Springsteen’s music is behind the inspiration of the song; the North Carolina native wants the tune to apply to everyone.

Eric Church (not revealing song inspiration) OC: …you’re with. :34

“I’ll never say…’cause that’s mine, you know? I’m always, I’m gonna keep that artist. I’ve never said it wasn’t [Bruce] Springsteen, I just never said it was. [laughs] So, I think it allows it to be, everybody has a different artist. I mean, it could be Seger, it could be Mellencamp, it could be a number of artists that became the soundtrack to that point, to that moment in time. And I want everybody to be able to apply it. I mean, the title of the song is ‘Springsteen,’ but what I love about it is it’s not a tribute song. It’s not about Springsteen. It’s about that artist, whatever that artist is, becoming the soundtrack for the love or the person you’re with.”

Alan Jackson will re-release his 2006 gospel album, Precious Memories, on Tuesday, March 27th. He originally recorded the album for his mother and his wife’s mother, who had been pleading for him to put together an entire gospel collection. What prompted him to finally do it was when he recorded a song for the funeral of Denise’s father. “I went in with just a piano and sang it, just real quick for this service, and it was ‘Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus.’ That recording’s on the album. We used that same one. We didn’t rerecord it, so it’s the one we did for his funeral,” Alan recalls. “So, anyway, after they heard that, her mother, Denise and my mother and everybody was on me then to do a whole album, so finally I ran in [the studio] and just kind of threw this thing together.”

Precious Memories includes many gospel favorites, such as “I’ll Fly Away,” “The Old Rugged Cross,” “Softly and Tenderly,” “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” and “How Great Thou Art.”

At the time of the album’s release, GAC-TV broadcast a special concert from Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium. The one-hour special, which features personal interviews with Alan, his wife and mother, will re-air beginning Sunday at 8pm ET and running through March 28th at 10am ET.

The country superstar is currently making his way up the country charts with his latest hit, “So You Don’t Have to Love Me Anymore.”

AUDIO: During the time he first released Precious Memories, Alan Jackson explains why he put together a gospel album.

AJ (Precious Memories) OC: …together. :55

“My mom had probably been asking me to record this had to be [laughs] ever since I started making records, probably early ‘90s, I guess. I don’t remember. But every now and then, you know, ‘I wish you’d make a gospel album.’ And so, and I wanted to do a gospel album. I love that music and just looking for an opportunity or just making myself do it, I guess. But what motivated me was my wife’s father passed away, and Denise asked me to record a song for his funeral. I went in with just a piano and sang it, just real quick for this service, and it was ‘Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus.’ That recording’s on the album. We used that same one. We didn’t rerecord it, so it’s the one we did for his funeral. So, anyway, after they heard that, her mother, Denise and my mother and everybody was on me then to do a whole album, so finally I ran in [the studio] and just kind of threw this thing together.”

Luke Bryan‘s new “Drunk on You” video is the continuation of his “I Don’t Want This Night to End” clip, in which he meets a mysterious and beautiful blonde, who is played by actress Cameron Richardson (Entourage, Harper’s Island), at a bonfire party when he’s home from the road. After getting to know each other and possibly falling in love, she disappears the next day. Luke promised to leave a ticket for her at his next show, and after two months, he’s still leaving a ticket for her at every show, but she is a “no-show.” Check out what happens at the end of the “Drunk on You” clip in it’s VEVO video premiere!