Universal Universal Music Group Nashville Pressroom

Eric Church surprised the crowd at Keith Urban’s show on his Get Closer 2011 World Tour stop in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Thursday night (October 13th). The pair performed Eric’s song, “Springsteen,” from his No. 1 debut album, Chief. Radio station WMIL caught all the action on flip cam – check it out below.

Alan Jackson is among this year’s five inductees, along with Garth Brooks, to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, and his induction – in the songwriter-artist category – will take place during a ceremony on Sunday (October 16th). Alan says it’s “one of the coolest honors” he has ever received. “I’ve always been more about the music and I’ve always been, especially proud to be able to be a writer and to have songs that affect people and that they enjoy. And you know to be included in the writers here in Nashville – that’s some of the best music in the world that comes out of this town.”

AJ (Songwriters HOF) OC: …of this town. : 19

“Man, that’s one of the coolest honors for me. I’ve always been more about the music and I’ve always been, especially proud to be able to be a writer and to have songs that affect people and that they enjoy. And you know to be included in the writers here in Nashville – that’s some of the best music in the world that comes out of this town.”

Dierks Bentley hosts his sixth annual Miles & Music for Kids celebrity motorcycle ride and benefit concert on October 16th in Nashville. The ride will begins in Columbia, Tennessee and will end at Riverfront Park in downtown Nashville with a concert featuring Dierks and special guests including Eli Young Band, Colt Ford and Josh Thompson. All proceeds from the event will benefit the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt.

Dierks (Miles & Music 2011) 2 OC: …part of it. :15

“It’s been a lot of fun. I think what fans love about it is it’s a different type of show. It’s not a huge production deal. It’s really a friendly, fun, family type of deal. I really enjoy those days and look forward to them. It’s cool to see that people are making an event out of it coming from all over to be a part of it.”

Luke Bryan talks about the encore for his headlining fall tour, and you even get a sneak peek of the surprises that are in store for his fans. He says it’s a chance for him to be a little bit creative. Check out the below video to get a sneak peek.

If you’ve ever wanted to be (I mean smell) like Keith Urban, or wanted your man to be (again, smell) like Keith, now is your chance! The entertainer has released his new men’s fragrance, PHOENIX by Keith Urban. In creating the cologne, Keith said the process was one of “self-discovery” and really opened him up. “I grew up with a father that had a real appreciation for specific things – certain leathers and fabrics and the way they felt, the way they smelled,” he tells Reuters. “It’s inherent in what I do musically, because I’m very particular about the way I write songs and put a tune together.” He adds, “I’m a romantic at heart and there’s certain woods and leathers and fragrances I love because they make me feel a certain way. I’d never really stopped to think about the way something made me feel. I started thinking about why I choose one smell over another.”

Keith was adamant that he didn’t want the fragrance to be named after him. “That was brought up and I said, ‘No way.’ Some poor guy is going to have a girl say, ‘Oh you smell great, what are you wearing?’ And the guy has to say, ‘I’m wearing Keith Urban,’” he laughs. “Phoenix is a nice name he can say instead.” He also enlisted his wife’s help in crafting the fragrance. “Even though I’m making a men’s cologne, it’s predominantly so that women would enjoy it. I wanted a female take on what this cologne was like, so, of course, I asked my wife.” 

• Keith is set to release his new single, “You Gonna Fly,” next week. It’s the follow-up to his current No. 1 hit, “Long Hot Summer.”
• Keith, who is nominated for both CMA Entertainer and Male Vocalist of the Year, is set to wrap his Get Closer 2011 World Tour Saturday (October 15th) in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

LUKE BRYAN’S “FARM TOUR” PLAYS FOR 42,000 FANS

 Local Colleges to Receive “Luke Bryan Farm Tour Scholarship”

Nashville – (October 12, 2011) – CMA Awards nominee Luke Bryan wrapped his third annual, “Farm Tour” over the weekend and performed for nearly 42,000 fans in the 6 cities-Clemson, South Carolina and Athens, Macon, Claxton, Valdosta and Carrollton, Georgia.

Local schools in all six towns will receive a “Luke Bryan Farm Tour Scholarship,” which will be given to a student from a farming family who is in financial need.  

Those colleges include:

Seneca, SC – Clemson University

Colbert, GA – University of Georgia

Macon, GA – Mercer University

Claxton, GA – Georgia Southern University

Valdosta, GA – Valdosta State University

Carrollton, GA – University of West Georgia

Great American Country’s “Top 20” and “Headline Country” shows were filmed during the Claxton show on Oct. 5. “GAC’s “Top 20” is set to air this Friday, Oct. 14 and “Headline Country” will air Thursday, Nov 3.  Also on Oct. 5, Luke was surprised with a plaque signifying that his current album tailgates & tanlines has been certified Gold® by the RIAA for sales of 500,000.  He also received a plaque for his first Platinum® single for sales of 1 million— the album’s lead smash hit “Country Girl (Shake It For Me),” which Luke co-wrote with fellow Georgian Dallas Davidson.

The idea for the Farm Tour concerts came from Luke 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.  DEKALB was the presenting sponsor.

Lady Antebellum visits London for an intimate and unplugged performance at the amazing Union Chapel in this week’s webisode.

In an all new DBTV, Episode 37, Dierks Bentley is invited to Late Night with Jimmy Fallon to pay tribute to Pink Floyd by covering the classic, “Wish You Were Here.” He also mentions he received a Facebook message from Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters who told him he did a great job and that Hank Williams would be proud.

Little Big Town‘s “Shut Up Train” music video is iTunes Free Video of the Week…the offer is good through next Tuesday (October 18th)!

KEITH URBAN’S WE’RE ALL FOR THE HALL BENEFIT CONCERT FOR THE COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAME^® AND MUSEUM RETURNS TO THE BRIDGESTONE ARENA ON JANUARY 18

FIRST ROUND OF ANNOUNCED PERFORMERS INCLUDES URBAN, VINCE GILL, RASCAL FLATTS, ALISON KRAUSS AND UNION STATION, LITTLE BIG TOWN AND THE OAK RIDGE BOYS

 Tickets on Sale November 4 at 10:00 a.m.

 NASHVILLE, Tenn., October 11, 2011 – CMA Entertainer of the Year honoree and five-time Grammy Award winner Keith Urban and an all-star lineup of friends will return to Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday, January 18, for a concert to benefit the Country Music Hall of Fame^® and Museum. Reserved seating tickets, which are priced at a family friendly $25 and $35 (does not include Ticketmaster surcharge), will go on sale November 4 at 10:00 a.m.  A limited number of VIP ticket packages will also go on sale on November 4 at Ticketmaster.com. (Complete ticket purchase information is below.)

The show—which will feature performances from an all-star line-up including Urban, Country Music Hall of Fame member Vince Gill, Rascal Flatts, Alison Krauss and Union Station, Little Big Town, the Oak Ridge Boys and additional artists to be announced later—again promises to be a one-of-a-kind, once-in-a-lifetime evening of music, friendship and camaraderie.   

All for the Hall is the Museum’s first-ever non-bricks-and-mortar fundraising initiative.  The campaign addresses the not-for-profit educational institution’s need for long-term financial security and provides a safety net for its work.  Through ongoing exhibit schedules, scholarly publications and hundreds of school and family programs annually, the Museum teaches its audiences about the enduring beauty and cultural importance of country music.  Museum Board President Gill created and has led the institution’s All for the Hall fundraising initiative since 2005. 

“The support that this event has received over the past couple of years, I think, really speaks to the commitment to and the importance of preserving the past and protecting the future of country music,” Urban said.  “We’ll have some great bands performing—part of our ‘All Together Now’ theme for the night—an especially fitting concept that we hope will capture the spirit of the evening.” 

“The first two We’re All for the Hall concerts have been landmarks for this institution,” said Museum Director Kyle Young.  “They have been the most successful fundraisers in the museum’s history, together raising roughly $1 million.  And they have not only set a new standard for fundraising and event coordination, but also brought together an entire community and helped us to see what can be done by individuals when there is a collective passion for a cause.

 “It is beyond gratifying” Young continued, “when the artists we love and chronicle, artists like Vince and Keith, offer us their leadership and financial support.  Keith Urban grew up in a home where country music was cherished.  He knows the music’s history and its heroes.  He is one of country music’s greatest champions and he is one of this museum’s heroes.”

 Reserved Seating Tickets

 Tickets ($25 and $35, plus Ticketmaster surcharge) go on sale November 4 at 10:00 a.m. Tickets are available at Ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster locations, the Bridgestone Arena box office or by phone at (800) 745-3000.  Phone, internet and outlet orders are subject to a convenience fee.

 VIP Packages:

 VIP packages will go on sale November 4 at Ticketmaster.com.  They include:

 “Get Closer” Package

$3,500 for one ticket

20 packages available

• Invitation for one to an intimate dinner in the Country Music Hall of Fame  Rotunda the evening of Tuesday, January 17, hosted by some of Keith Urban’s close friends and collaborators

• Meet & greet for one with Keith Urban before the concert January 18 (timing TBD), which includes an individual photo

• Framed meet & greet picture mailed to your house one week after the concert

• One Keith Urban autographed guitar

• One premium floor concert seat and commemorative ticket

• One signed customized concert seat that you can take home

• One invitation to a post-concert party at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum

• One complete Keith Urban catalog per package on CD including: Keith Urban, Golden Road, Be Here, Love, Pain & The Whole Crazy Thing, Greatest Hits: 19 Kids, Defying Gravity and Get Closer

• One commemorative Hatch Show Print event poster autographed by Keith Urban

• One complimentary parking space for both the January 17 dinner and the January 18 concert within a one-block vicinity of the dinner, concert and post-party venues

• One “Friends & Family” membership to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, which includes unlimited free admission for the entire household to the museum and most public programs for one year (valued at $100)

 “Put You in a Song” Package

$2,500 for one ticket

10 packages available

• Invitation for one to an intimate dinner in the Country Music Hall of Fame Rotunda the evening of Tuesday, January 17, hosted by some of Keith Urban’s close friends and collaborators

• Meet & greet for one with Keith Urban before the concert on January 18 (timing TBD), which includes a group photo

• One premium floor concert seat

• One invitation to a post-concert party at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum

• One complete Keith Urban catalog per package on CD including: Keith Urban, Golden Road, Be Here, Love, Pain & The Whole Crazy Thing, Greatest Hits: 19 Kids, Defying Gravity and Get Closer

• One commemorative Hatch Show Print event poster autographed by Keith Urban

• One complimentary parking space for both the January 17 dinner and the January 18 concert within a one-block vicinity of the dinner, concert and post-party venues

• One “Friends & Family” membership to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, which includes unlimited free admission for the entire household to the museum and most public programs for one year (valued at $100)

 “Start a Band” Package

$150 for one ticket

60 packages available

• One premium floor concert seat

• One complimentary parking spot for the January 18 concert within one-block vicinity of the venue

• One “Individual Membership” to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, which includes unlimited free admission for one to the museum and most public programs for one year (valued at $40)

 A portion of each VIP package is tax deductible to support the preservation of country music.