Universal Universal Music Group Nashville Pressroom

Keith Urban’s third annual All for the Hall benefit concert for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum has been re-scheduled for Tuesday, April 10th at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena. This year’s show will feature performances from Country Music Hall of Famers Vince Gill and Alabama, as well as Lady Antebellum, Rascal Flatts, Little Big Town, The Band Perry, Thompson Square, Miranda Lambert’s trio Pistol Annies, Oak Ridge Boys, Exile and Diamond Rio, among others. “Our genre is rich in great groups, past and present, and I loved the idea of getting to see and hear some of them on one stage in one concert,” Urban said of this year’s lineup. “I also liked the idea of having everyone hear how groups like The Oak Ridge Boys, Alabama and Diamond Rio have influenced others and to hear just how good they all are.”

Keith had to postpone the original date, which was supposed to take place this month, due to his recovery after undergoing throat surgery.

“My goal for the concert is really the same as the hall’s,” Urban said in a statement. “To help country fans connect the dots — to find out where their music came from, how it’s evolved (and is still evolving) and to discover the artists that have influenced their favorite artists. Country music is like a big beautiful strange family tree and nowhere is that more honored than at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.”

Tickets for the show are $25-$35 and will go on sale at 10 am January 27 through Ticketmaster, 1-800-745-3000.

The concert will benefit the not-for-profit educational institution’s need for long-term financial security and provides a safety net for its work. 

AUDIO: Keith Urban talks about the importance of his All for the Hall benefit.

Keith Urban (all for the hall) OC: …we’re doing it. :37

“The history and the weight of what it is that they’re maintaining and bringing forward and presenting to the public is vitally important. I mean, this town has only got tourism because of what’s in that hall ultimately. So, for me, it’s not just bringing money to the hall, it’s bringing awareness that the hall is there and what it’s about. It’s keeping, for me, remembering the center of it all. I came here just to play music and I was inspired by music, and the history of this genre is right there. And as I’ve said before, if we’re going to pull it forward, then we’ve got to know where it came from, and we know what we’re doing and why we’re doing it.”

Eric Church has scored his first No. 1 single with “Drink in My Hand.” The song, which is the latest release from his No. 1 album Chief, hit the top of both the Billboard and Country Aircheck/Mediabase country charts. The singer was inspired to write “Drink in My Hand” after coming off-stage while on tour with Miranda Lambert. “I was on the bus with a couple of co-writers of mine, and we had just walked offstage and saw the crowd, saw our fans and saw ‘em put their beers in the air,” recalls Eric. “You could just tell that they had worked all week and this was their moment to let all that wash away. And that was where the title was born from really. ‘Everything’s OK now, I’ve got a drink in my hand, and I’m relaxing and I’m chilling.’ That just became a really good song born from our fans.” Catch Eric on tour when he hits the road on Thursday with his Blood, Sweat & Beers Tour.

• Eric was signed to Capitol Records in 2006 and released his debut album, Sinners Like Me, which included the Top 20 hits, “How ‘Bout You,” “Two Pink Lines” and “Guys Like Me.” The album also featured the critically-acclaimed “Lightning,” which helped Eric secure both his publishing and record deals.
• In 2009, the North Carolina native released his sophomore project, Carolina, containing his first two Top 10 hits – “Love Your Love the Most” and “Hell on the Heart,” as well as the party favorite, “Smoke a Little Smoke.” The disc has now been certified gold for more than 500-thousand copies sold. His third album, Chief, was released last summer and has already been certified gold.

AUDIO: Eric Church explains how he came up with his latest single, “Drink in My Hand.”

Eric Church (Drink in my Hand) OC: …play that one. :42

“‘Drink in My Hand’ is absolutely, when we wrote this song …we were on tour, this is a song that was written after the cabin, and we were out on tour. I think we were on tour with Miranda at the time, and I was on the bus with a couple of co-writers of mine, and we had just walked offstage and saw the crowd, saw our fans and saw ‘em put their beers in the air. You could just tell that they had worked all week and this was their moment to let all that wash away. And that was where the title was born from really. ‘Everything’s OK now, I’ve got a drink in my hand, and I’m relaxing and I’m chilling.’ That just became a really good song born from our fans. They’re the ones that inspired that, and it was on tour. It was on a tour bus, and I’ll never forget it. I’m happy it turned out the way it did, and I think our fans are gonna love putting their beer, or whatever they’re drinking, up in the air when we play that one.”

Lady Antebellum’s Hillary Scott has been hand-selected by Cosmopolitan as one of six “Fun Fearless” women featured in their February issue, on newsstands now. HIllary joins the short list alongside “Fun Fearless Female of the Year” actress Dakota Fanning as well as Zoe Saldana, Lucy Hale, Rose Byrne and Frieda Pinto. This year marks the 15th Anniversary of Cosmopolitan‘s “Fun Fearless Awards” which recognize entertainers and show business professionals who have had extraordinary years in their careers and taken bold risks in their professional and personal lives.

Fans can catch Scott on the road when Lady Antebellum kicks off the second leg of their OWN THE NIGHT 2012 WORLD TOUR on Friday, January 27th in Tulsa, Oklahoma with Darius Rucker and special guest Thompson Square.  For a full list of upcoming tour dates and appearances, visit www.ladyantebellum.com.

Dierks Bentley and the band check in from their rehearsals in Nashville, where they’re preparing for the 2012 leg of the Country & Cold Cans Tour in the latest episode of DBTV.

Lady Antebellum have been nominated in the Best International Group category for the 2012 Brit Awards. Other artists included in the category are Foo Fighters, Jay-Z & Kanye West, Fleet Foxes and Maroon 5.

The band was also nominated for a 2012 Music Award from Australia’s Country Music Channel for International Artist of the Year.

Lady A are among the performers paying tribute to the legendary Lionel Richie in a new CBS-TV special. ACM Presents: Lionel Richie and Friends – A Lifetime of Hits will take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on April 2nd, the day after this year’s ACM Awards will be handed out. The special, which will air on a later date, will benefit ACM Lifting Lives organization which works to improve lives through music.

The second leg of Lady Antebellum’s Own the Night tour, featuring special guests Darius Rucker and Thompson Square, is set to kick off January 27th in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

The trio has danced onto the country charts with their latest single, “Dancin’ Away With My Heart,” from their album, Own the Night.

On a sweet note, this Valentine’s Day, you can send your special someone a treat from Lady A! The new featured item in the online store is Lady A’s Sweet Treat “Just A Kiss” chocolate CD. Place your order today and it will ship on Jan. 30th, just in time for Valentine’s Day. Go to ladyantebellum.com for more information.

Lady A were just added to the list of performers at this year’s CMA Music Festival, taking place June 7th through June 10th in Nashville,

Lady Antebellum, Luke Bryan and Eric Church have been added to the list of performers at this year’s CMA Music Festival. All three will perform during the nightly concerts at Nashville’s LP Field. The four-day event, which will also feature performances by Jason Aldean, Brad Paisley, Rascal Flatts, Carrie Underwood, Faith Hill, The Band Perry and the Zac Brown Band, will run from June 7th through June 10th.

• This will be Eric Church’s debut performance during the Nightly Concerts at LP field.
• Fans can purchase tickets through Ticketmaster at Ticketmaster.com or at 1-800-745-3000.

AUDIO: Lady Antebellum’s Hillary Scott talks about performing at LP Field during the CMA Music Festival.

Lady A (Music Fest) 1 OC: …the world. :15

“The electricity in LP Stadium every year for that is just, you can’t really beat it. I mean, it’s so much fun to be there, and to have a stadium full of the most die-hard country fans you could ever imagine, from all over the world.”

AUDIO: Eric Church talks about the CMA Music Festival.

Eric Church (CMA Music Fest) OC: …of music. :32

“Well, I think it’s what makes country music unique. Find me another format that happens in, it’s just not something that happens. I think it’s about what we were talking about earlier; country music is the one for mat where the fans, the music is really about them. And we’re them; we’re not different than them. We’re not a lot of the rock stars and a lot of the other guys where they’re their own person, they’re their own agenda. They’re not like the people that are listening to them. It’s different in country, we are. We come from there, we are that. I think it’s just a great thing for them to be able to come to our town and to get just this barrage of music.”

The past year of 2011 brought Lady Antebellum on an amazing adventure — from The GRAMMYs to Australia, to Saturday Night Live and their first headlining tour, plus, everything in between. It has been one incredible year, and they wanted to thank you all for being a part of it. Take a look back on Lady A’s 2011 in the latest edition of Webisode Wednesday!

Keith Urban is taking his music to the big screen. He co-wrote “For You,” with pal Monty Powell for the new Navy SEAL action thriller, Act of Valor. The song, which will be featured during the film’s end credits, marking the first time the singer has written and recorded a song specifically for a movie. “I loved the challenge of writing for a film,” Keith said in a statement. “I’ve never done that before. After seeing Act Of Valor, my co-writer and I wanted to capture the essence of not only what these men and women do so extraordinarily [well], but how that relates to all of us. ‘Valor‘ shows us what they are willing to give their all for, which made me wonder, ‘What am I willing to give my life for?’” Act of Valor, which stars a group of active-duty Navy SEALs along with Roselyn Sanchez, Jason Cottle and Nestor Serrano, will hit theaters nationwide February 24th, while the soundtrack is set for release February 21st.

Keith is currently scaling the country singles charts with his latest, “You Gonna Fly.”

AUDIO: Keith Urban says he would love to act onscreen…some day.

Keith Urban (acting) OC: …my music. :15

“I was actually in a theater group when I was a kid for about three years. We did quite a few stage productions, which was really my starting board for learning how to perform on stage. So, I’d love to do some of that down the track. I wouldn’t want it to interfere with my music.”

Lady Antebellum’s Own the Night once again claims the No. 1 spot on the country album chart. The trio has already enjoyed two No. 1 singles from the Grammy-nominated album – “Just a Kiss” and “We Owned the Night” – and they’re starting to make the climb up the country chart with their latest, “Dancin’ Away With My Heart.” “More than anything with this record, I think we’re more proud of the record as a whole,” says Lady A’s Charles Kelley. “I think we feel we found our sound a little bit more, you know, just keep honing in on what kind of sound we want to represent.”

• Luke Bryan’s tailgates & tanlines is No. 3 on the country album chart, while Eric Church’s Chief – which is also nominated for a Grammy – is at No. 7.

AUDIO: Lady Antebellum’s Charles Kelley says he, as well as the rest of the group, are proud of the music on their latest album Own the Night.

Lady A (new music) OC: …represent. :11

“More than anything with this record, I think we’re more proud of the record as a whole. I think we feel we found our sound a little bit more, you know, just keep honing in on what kind of sound we want to represent.”