Universal Universal Music Group Nashville Pressroom

Go behind the scenes of Lady Antebellum’s debut appearance on NBC’s Saturday Night Live.

Lady Antebellum have been added to the list of performers at this year’s CMA Awards. The band, who just released their third album Own the Night, are nominated for CMA Vocal Group of the Year, which they’ve taken home the past two years in a row. The trio also picked up the trophy for Single of the Year last year for their smash hit, “Need You Now.” They join previously announced performances by Keith Urban, Taylor Swift, Blake Shelton, Jason Aldean and Brad Paisley. The 45th annual Country Music Awards will air live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on November 9th on ABC-TV beginning at 8pm ET.

AUDIO: Lady Antebellum’s Dave Haywood says with all that has happened to them over the past couple of years, they rely on each other to stay grounded.

Lady A (soak up) OC: …time we have. :22

“We all keep each other grounded when we’re out there on the road and doing all these things. And every time something great comes in, I think we all have each other to share it with. But, I don’t know, personally, I feel like I’ve grown more as a good friend to these two and we’ve all had some really, really neat experiences and feel very blessed to be where we are. It’s been kinda tough to take it all in. But we’re just trying to soak up the moment and try to cherish every time we have.”

Dierks Bentley’s new single, “Home,” has just been released, and it’s already establishing itself as an inspirational anthem for the tough times the nation is experiencing. Weighing heavily on the singer-songwriter’s mind was the Tucson massacre that took place in January of this year that left 6 dead and more than a dozen more injured, as he sat down with his friend, Brett Beavers, and Dan Wilson (Semisonic, Adele), for a songwriting appointment. “This melody started coming out of the piano, and I had never really written with a piano in the room before,” recalls Dierks. “Once that melody came in, the words just kind of fell in there. We just felt like we were on to something really special.” As far as the message in the song, Dierks wanted to make people feel better about this country, despite the chinks in its armor. “I wanted to do something that’s inspiring and uniting and looks back at our failures, and more than anything else, just our greatness,” he explains. “It’s just such tough times out there right now for so many of my fans and so many folks out there that, hopefully, it’s a song that inspires people and makes ‘em feel good.”

• “Home” is the second single from his forthcoming album, due out early next year. The first single, “Am I The Only One,” recently topped the country charts.
• Expect Dierks to perform “Home” as he embarks on his Country & Cold Cans Tour on Thursday (Oct. 6th) in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

Dierks Bentley (Home) 100411 OC: …feel good. :50

“I wrote that song with, the guy that I wrote ‘Am I the Only One’ with, Jim Beavers, his brother Brett and I write a lot together and he produces a lot of my records. He and I wrote that together with Dan Wilson. That’s one of those songwriting appointments that [it was] my first time writing with Dan and Brett, that little trio, and it just kind of came quickly. In the back of my mind, in my home state of Arizona the shooting that happened in Tucson, that massacre, so that was definitely in the back of my mind, and this melody started coming out of the piano, and I had never really written with a piano in the room before. Once that melody came into place, the words just kind of fell in there. We just felt like we were on to something really special. It’s hard to write a patriotic song that doesn’t feel like it’s kind of too chest pounding. I wanted to do something that’s inspiring and uniting and looks back at our failures, and more than anything else, just our greatness and…it’s just such tough times out there right now for so many of my fans and so many folks out there that, hopefully, it’s a song that inspires people and makes ‘em feel good.”

KEITH URBAN AND PEOPLE.COM SET TO LAUNCH CONTEST TO CREATE NETWORK TELEVISION COMMERCIAL SPOT FOR

PHOENIX BY KEITH URBAN COLOGNE

On Tuesday (October 4th), Keith Urban, in conjunction with PEOPLE.com, will launch a nationwide contest to create a thirty second commercial spot for Urban’s new men’s cologne, PHOENIX by Keith Urban. The grand prize winner will be hand selected by Urban and their commercial will be broadcast on national network television after the conclusion of the promotion. In addition, the winner will receive tickets and airfare to an Urban concert in 2012 and a Phoenix gift pack including cologne, after shave, body wash and wrist watch. PEOPLE.com will serve as the exclusive partner for the contest.

Fans will be invited to create their own commercial spot for the cologne. Information on how to submit entries can be found at www.KeithUrban.net and www.PEOPLE.com/keith_urban. The contest will begin on October 4^th and will run through November 11^th with the winner to be announced on November 14^th. Though Urban will hand pick the winner, fans can visit PEOPLE.com and KeithUrban.net for all of the latest news and updates on the contest as they happen.

PHOENIX by Keith Urban is a rich, masculine scent infused with cognac and plum and can be described as a “woody oriental” fragrance. The scent is not only reflective of Urban’s personal triumphs, but is also an expression of his spirit. The phoenix symbol resonates with Urban for its immortality and ability to renew and be reborn.  PHOENIX will launch internationally to mass-market retailers, including CVS, Rite-Aid and Sears in the U.S., Shopper’s Drug Mart in Canada and Target and David Jones in Australia, beginning in October.  The price point ranges from $24-$48.

The four time Grammy Award winner continues to thrill fans and critics alike this Fall on his Keith Urban Get Closer 2011 World Tour Presented by AT&T and Samsung. Urban is touring in support of his sixth CD, Get Closer.

For more official Keith Urban touring news and ticket information go to www.keithurban.net and listen to your local country radio station.

Lady Antebellum performed their latest single, “We Owned the Night,” and “Just a Kiss” during their debut appearance on NBC’s Saturday Night Live this past weekend.

CMA Entertainer of The Year Nominee, Keith Urban, Returns To States After Wowing Canada With Get Closer 2011 World Tour

 Urban Joined By Russell Crowe In Vancouver For Close of 11-City

Canadian Leg Of Tour; “Long Hot Summer” Remains At #1 For Fourth Consecutive Week

 Keith Urban returned to the States yesterday to round out his Get Closer 2011 World Tour after taking Canada by storm with eleven electrifying concerts on the heels of his 19^th #1 single in Canada, “Long Hot Summer”. The single celebrated its 4^th week atop the charts. The tour kicked off September 9^th in Ottawa followed by a number of sold out performances and concluded this past Monday in Vancouver where fellow Aussie, actor Russell Crowe, joined Urban onstage for a performance of Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues”. Check out a video of Urban in Canada featuring a clip of his performance with Crowe here. Urban is touring in support of his sixth studio album, Get Closer.

 The tour included stops in Toronto, Calgary, Edmonton and two stops in Regina. Performing an unforgettable live show in each city, Urban “delivered what many have aspired but failed to do for his current Get Closer tour: perform a country music show that bared its rock ’n’ roll heart” (Toronto Star) and “had the big crowd wrapped around each guitar-plucking finger”(Saskatoon Star Phoenix). The Band Perry served as Urban’s supporting act throughout all Canadian dates.

Urban played Seattle yesterday after returning to the U.S. to wrap up the tour which concludes on October 15^th in Minneapolis, MN. Released on November 16^th, Get Closer follows two previous consecutive Billboard country and pop #1 albums, as well as five previous CDs, all of which have been certified platinum or multi-platinum.

 For more official news and ticket information go to www.keithurban.net.

Lady Antebellum will make their debut as the musical guest on NBC’s Saturday Night Live on…you guessed it…this Saturday (October 1st). Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids, Mike & Molly) is the host of the show. The band says they can mark this item off their bucket list now. “That’s on our bucket list,” Lady A’s Hillary Scott exclaims. “That’s definitely all of our No. 1s,” agrees Dave Haywood. “Growing up, I mean, for me that was when I would stay up to midnight to see who was playing on that show back when I was watching Nirvana play and all these bands back in the early ‘90s and whatever. This is, for me, kind of the stamp, and I cannot wait just to be in that studio.”

• Lady A is currently climbing the country charts with their latest single, “We Owned the Night,” the second release from their new album, Own the Night.

AUDIO: Lady A’s Dave Haywood and Hillary Scott talk about making the grade as they get ready to make their debut appearance on NBC’s Saturday Night Live.

Lady A (SNL) OC: …me personally. :45

DH: “I think that’s…(HS: That’s on our bucket list.)…that’s definitely all of our No. 1s. Hillary might say Oprah, which we had the opportunity to do. [HS laughs] But, yeah, for me especially, that’s my No. 1 is being able to do Saturday Night Live. Growing up, I mean for me that was when I would stay up to midnight to see who was playing on that show back when I was watching Nirvana play and all these bands back in the early ‘90s and whatever. This is for me, kind of the stamp and I cannot wait just to be in that studio. And it’s kind of a several day process. They want you up there for three or four days for a couple of rehearsals and a photo shoot and stuff, so it should be a pretty fun, you know, just a great experience all around to be up there in New York and to be able to walk in that building and be there for a couple of days. So, [I] couldn’t be more thrilled about that one, for me personally.”

DIERKS BENTLEY’S MILES & MUSIC FOR KIDS

SELLS OUT TWO WEEKS IN ADVANCE IN CHICAGO

Nashville, TN – (Sept. 29, 2011) – Multi-platinum country music star Dierks Bentley’s Miles & Music for Kids charity motorcycle ride and concert in Chicago, IL on Oct. 9 is sold out.  This marks the event’s fastest advance sell out in its six year history. Thousands of fans will join Bentley for the outdoor block party next Sunday to raise money for Chicago’s Children’s Memorial Hospital. Artists slated to join Bentley for the jam-style concert include Eli Young Band, Jerrod Niemann, Tyler Reeve, Matt Mason and welcoming station US99’s Lisa Dent as emcee.

“It’s further proof that country music fans and bikers have the biggest hearts out there,” said Bentley. “It’s always fun taking this event into new cities and raising money for the local hospitals.  We are looking forward to a big day in Chicago!”

Over the event’s six-year history, it has raised an impressive $1.6 million for children’s hospitals in Nashville, Phoenix, Dallas-Fort Worth, Atlanta, Seattle, Columbus and tickets are still available for the upcoming sixth annual event in Nashville, TN.  The event is presented annually by Nationwide Insurance and also sponsor by CMT One Country.

Luke Bryan stopped by the Ellen DeGeneres Show to perform “Country Girl (Shake It for Me),” from his album tailgates & tanlines.”This performance will get you shaking, whether you’re a country girl or not! Watch it below…and pay close attention to the hand that comes out of nowhere to touch his shaker-maker.

Dierks Bentley performs a version of Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here” Thursday night (September 29th) as part of Late Night With Jimmy Fallon’s week-long tribute to the legendary rock band. As the only country artist taking part in the tribute, Dierks joins the list of rock bands as Fallon’s musical guests, which include Pearl Jam, Foo Fighters, The Shins and MGMT.  Dierks says he’s old enough to remember Pink Floyd when they were enjoying success the first time around. “I was born in 1974; I know what Pink Floyd was,” Dierks explains. “My sister is three years older than me, so all that music, you know, all that ‘80s music is not something that’s nostalgic for me. I mean, I was knee-deep in that stuff…I mean, Pink Floyd’s one of the biggest rock bands of all time.” The tribute week celebrates the release of Pink Floyd’s two new box sets of remastered and previously unreleased material.

AUDIO: Dierks Bentley talks about taking part in Late Night With Jimmy Fallon’s weeklong tribute to Pink Floyd.

Dierks Bentley (Pink Floyd) OC: …how it goes over. :46

“I got a call for that, and I mean, I was born in 1974; I know what Pink Floyd was. My sister is three years older than me, so all that music, you know, all that ‘80s music is not something that’s nostalgic for me. I mean, I was knee-deep in that stuff, and I’m a huge…country music’s 90% of what I listen to and always really have since I was 17 years old. I mean, Pink Floyd’s one of the biggest rock bands of all time, and hear Pearl Jam’s gonna do it. A buddy of mine plays guitar for Pearl Jam. A buddy of mine plays guitar for the Foo Fighters. These are bands that I really think are great ad awesome, and to be on the same show and part of the same deal they’re all doing is kind of a no-brainer. It’s exciting. We’ll see how it goes. We’re gonna put some steel guitar and fiddle on that thing and see how it goes over.”