Universal Universal Music Group Nashville Pressroom

More than 3,000 fans came out to see Lady Antebellum perform at the new amphitheater named in their honor in Columbia County, Georgia. The group has local ties to the Augusta area. Two members – Charles Kelley and Dave Haywood – grew up in the community, attending Lakeside High School. The show kicked off with the dedication ceremony for the pavilion named after them. “Being in Lakeside High school gym, and having those things, disco ball – it’s the song about looking back and remembering that time whether it’s your first love, or first kiss, it brought me back to high school,” Lady A’s Charles said during a press conference prior to their show. “There’s our little Augusta connection.” Proceeds from the concert benefit the University Healthcare Foundation.

• Lady A’s “Hello World” picked up the Video of the Year award at Friday’s 2011 Inspirational Country Music Awards.
• The trio is up for the Vocal Group of the Year award at this year’s CMA Awards, which will be broadcast live November 9th at 8pm ET on ABC.
• Lady A, who are nearing the top of the country charts with “We Owned the Night,” will kick off their Own the Night 2011 Tour November 11th in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Keith Urban hits the tube in a new commercial for Samsung’s Infuse 4G phone. It’s all about getting his music closer to the fans.

Speaking of “getting closer,” Keith just wrapped up his Get Closer 2011 World Tour recently , and if you saw the show, you’ll know why he was nominated once again for the CMA Entertainer of the Year Award. By the way, he’s also up for CMA Male Vocalist, as well.

Lady Antebellum return home to Augusta, Georgia Friday (October 28^th). In addition to a mainly acoustic concert, the band is there for the dedication of the new Evans Town Center Park’s performance venue, the Lady Antebellum Pavilion. Lady A members Dave Haywood and Charles Kelley grew up near Augusta and are thrilled to go back. “We love being able to get back to Augusta,” says Dave. “That city has supported us for so many years, and we’re honored that they would want to do something like this for us, and happy we can be there to help celebrate the opening of that.”

• Lady A, who are up for Vocal Group of the Year at this year’s CMA Awards, are closing in on the top of the country charts with their latest single, “We Owned the Night.”

AUDIO: Lady Antebellum’s Dave Haywood talks about returning to Augusta, Georgia for the dedication of the Lady Antebellum Pavilion.

Lady A (Augusta) OC: …of that. :12

“We love being able to get back to Augusta, and that city has supported us for so many years, and we’re honored that they would want to do something like this for us, and happy we can be there to help celebrate the opening of that.”

Luke Bryan sings the National Anthem at a recent Tennessee Titans game in Nashville. He also got to realize every young boy’s dream of hitting the field for some of the warm-up drills. Oh, and check out who he meets on the sidelines — it’s all in the latest episode of LBTV! 

As we previously mentioned, Darius Rucker and Little Big Town will duet with Lionel Richie on this year’s CMA Awards. For Darius, singing with the legendary performer is a huge deal. “Meeting Lionel for me was huge. I’m a child of the ‘70s. The Commodores and Lionel Richie are in my DNA, I mean it’s just part of who I am. It’s more than music. Those songs are more than, they transcend all that stuff,” he explains. “To sing with Lionel, I could not have asked to be part of anything cooler than that.”

The two will perform Lionel’s 1984 hit, “Stuck on You,” on the CMA Awards. Their duet also appears on Lionel’s upcoming country duets album, Tuskegee, which is scheduled for release early next year.

Also catch Little Big Town singing “Deep River Woman” with Lionel on the show, as well. The 45th Annual CMA Awards will broadcast live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena November 9th beginning at 8pm ET on ABC.

AUDIO: Darius Rucker says the music of Lionel Richie is more than just songs he used to sing along to – it’s part of his DNA.

Darius Rucker (Lionel) OC: …cooler than that. :26

“Meeting Lionel for me was huge. I’m a child of the ‘70s. The Commodores and Lionel Richie are in my DNA, I mean it’s just part of who I am. It’s more than music. Those songs are more than, they transcend all that stuff. They asked me what song I wanted to do, no-brainer – ‘Stuck on You.’ I mean, that’s just the one I wanted to do. And to sing with Lionel, I could not have asked to be part of anything cooler than that.”

Darius Rucker and Little Big Town will duet on this year’s CMA Awards. Not with each other, but with Lionel Richie, who is debuting a few songs from his upcoming country duets album, Tuskegee, which is scheduled for release early next year. Darius joins Lionel for “Stuck on You,” while LBT will sing “Deep River Woman” with the legendary performer.

The 45th Annual CMA Awards will be broadcast live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena November 9th beginning at 8pm ET on ABC.

Keith Urban, Darius Rucker and Little Big Town are among the performers at this year’s CMA Country Christmas special, according to Nashville’s Tennessean. The three will be joined by Rascal Flatts, Brad Paisley, Martina McBride, Faith Hill, Vince Gill, Amy Grant, Kellie Pickler, Scotty McCreery, Lauren Alaina and Sugarland. The ABC television special will tape Thursday, November 11th and is set to air December 1st beginning at 8pm ET.

Lady Antebellum got to see their brand new stage for the first time. It was one of the most exciting moments for the band, but it’s still a secret for the fans! (NO FAIR!) Apparently, there are some amazing “attractions” of the set, but we’ll just have to wait until it’s revealed when they kick off their Own the Night 2011 Tour November 11, 2011 (11/11/11) in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Prior to the tour launch, the superstar band has a handful of dates on the books, including a hometown show in Augusta, Georgia on Friday, as well as an appearance on the 45th Annual CMA Awards, where they are nominated for Vocal Group of the Year. The CMA Awards will be broadcast live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena November 9th beginning at 8pm ET.

Eric Church and his wife, Katherine, became first-time parents earlier this month after (October 3rd) the birth of their son, Boone McCoy. Eric says the name is perfect for his three-week old son, describing him as “hearty-looking, like he could own that name.” The name originated from both family lines. “Ironically, Boone was a family name on my side of the family, going back to Daniel Boone, and I also went to school in Boone, North Carolina, and I’ve always liked the name,” he explains. “That even correlates to the family for me. And then Katherine’s side of the family, she’s related to the McCoys – which I’m not sure is the Hatfields and the McCoys or not; I ain’t asked that question – but she’s related to a whole line of McCoys.” Eric, who is rushing up the country charts with his latest hit, “Drink in My Hand,” says his son will “do good with [the name].”

• Eric has just a few dates on his calendar through the end of the year at the moment, spending time at home with his growing family. One of those dates is next month’s CMA Awards, where he is nominated for New Artist of the Year. He has also been tapped to perform on the show. Catch the 45th Annual CMA Awards November 9th at 8pm ET on ABC.

Eric Church (Boone McCoy name) OC: …good with it. :57

“Ironically, Boone was a family name on my side of the family, going back to Daniel Boone. And I also went to school in Boone, North Carolina, and I’ve always liked the name. That even correlates to the family for me. And then Katherine’s side of the family, she’s related to the McCoys – which I’m not sure is the Hatfields and the McCoys or not; I ain’t asked that question – but she’s related to a whole line of McCoys. We were going through family names and just sitting down one night trying to put our list together. We had a couple of names we liked. I had always liked Boone, so I mentioned Boone, and she loved Boone. And we were kind of looking through it and saw McCoy, and I said, ‘That’s a neat name.’ I’ve seen a lot of McCoys [as] a last name, but I’ve not met a McCoy. I’ve done a lot of meet-and-greets, and I have not met a McCoy as a first name or middle name. So, we were toying with McCoy Boone and Boone McCoy. We went back and forth and back and forth. But we’ve had the name awhile, we just hadn’t told a lot of people. We knew we liked it, [but] we didn’t even tell our parents, and he looks like a Boone McCoy. That was the only thing that I wanted to make sure is that he looked like that name, and he does, you know. He come out hearty-looking, you know, like he could own that name. He’ll do good with it.”

Tickets to Keith Urban‘s We’re All For the Hall event will now go on sale December 2nd, not November 4th, as previously announced. The concert, to benefit the Country Music Hall of Fame, will take place January 18th at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, and will include performances by Vince Gill, Little Big Town, Rascal Flatts, Alison Krauss & Union Station, the Oak Ridge Boys and more. Tickets will be available through Ticketmaster.