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NASHVILLE – Reigning CMA Vocal Group of the Year Little Big Town will host the summer’s hottest television music event when the ABC Television Network airs “CMA Music Festival: Country's Night to Rock" on Monday, Aug. 12 (8:00-11:00 PM/ET).
"It's an incredible honor to be hosting this year's CMA Fest,” said Karen Fairchild of Little Big Town. “We could not be more excited about the party that's going to break out at LP Field every night!"
Little Big Town members Fairchild, Phillip Sweet, Kimberly Schlapman, and Jimi Westbrook first entered the music scene more than 13 years ago with hits such as “Boondocks,” “Bring It On Home,” “Good As Gone,” and the Grammy-nominated single “Little White Church.” The quartet’s fifth studio album Tornado was released on Sept. 11, 2012 and debuted at the top of the Billboard Country Chart where it stayed in the No. 1 position for five consecutive weeks. The album, which is certified Gold, was produced by Jay Joyce and includes the double-Platinum-selling, No. 1 hit single “Pontoon” and the follow up single and title track “Tornado,” which also reached No. 1. Their current single, the emotionally-charged "Your Side of the Bed," is at radio now and quickly climbing the charts.
Collectively, the group has earned more than 25 award nominations and has taken home the trophies for CMA Single of the Year (“Pontoon”) and CMA Vocal Group of the Year, and a Grammy Award for Best Country Group/Duo Performance (“Pontoon”). The foursome has played in front of more than four million people to-date and recently wrapped “The Tornado Tour,” their sold-out headlining tour across the U.S. and Canada. They will join Keith Urban on tour later this summer.
Filmed during CMA Music Festival Thursday through Sunday, June 6-9, the special features many of today's most exciting Country Music stars as they hit the stage during the four-day party and celebration of America’s music. The annual event is unlike any other, with autograph signings in the new Fan Fair X, live music on 11 stages, more than 450 artists and celebrities, and a guest list of 71,000 avid singing-and-dancing-till-dawn fans.
The special first aired in 2004 and is marking its 10th anniversary in 2013. This is the ninth time ABC will broadcast the special – which invites the whole country to America's largest Country Music celebration. Artists appearing in the television special have not yet been announced. The special will air on ABC through 2021.
Artists performing as part of the sold-out Nightly Concerts at LP Field during 2013 CMA Music Festival include Gary Allan, Dierks Bentley, Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Kelly Clarkson, Florida Georgia Line, Hunter Hayes, Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town, Kip Moore, Jake Owen, Brad Paisley, Blake Shelton, Taylor Swift, The Band Perry, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, and Zac Brown Band. Several legacy acts are performing, too, including Lee Greenwood, Tracy Lawrence, The Oak Ridge Boys, and Randy Travis. Brett Eldredge; Gloriana; Lorrie Morgan and Pam Tillis; and The Oak Ridge Boys are scheduled to perform the national anthem.
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Jon Pardi may sing about being “Up All Night” in his new single, but actually living those kind of hours when he’s touring can be tough…especially when it comes to trying to stay healthy. “My biggest challenge on the road? Putting on the pounds!” Jon admits. Like many musicians, Jon has found that the easiest thing to grab to eat after a show is often pizza…and getting up early to exercise isn’t always easy the day after a gig. “It’s hard workin’ out and kind of like managing my time,” he says. “Sometimes it just feels good to sleep in, I tell ya, instead of waking up to go jogging.”
Jon Pardi says it can be a challenge stay healthy on the road. (:24)
“My biggest challenge on the road? Putting on the pounds, man! Whew! It’s hard workin’ out and kind of like managing my time…’cause sometimes it just feels good to sleep in, I tell ya, instead of waking up to go jogging, but…other than that – that’s probably the hardest thing. And pizza! It’s the pizza, man! We had to outlaw pizza. Like, no more pizza after the shows!”
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Like most country artists, Kip Moore’s tour bus is his home-away-from-home – it has all the amenities he needs to get from city to city without feeling like he’s living out of a suitcase. But you have to wonder – is there a “must have” item on the bus that he simply can’t do without? Maybe something that’s even a bit of a luxury to have on-hand? Yep…but you’ll never guess what it is. “We’ve got this juicer that we’ve all gotten hooked on,” he says. It turns out the juicer is helping Kip and his band maintain a healthier regimen when they’re traveling – the stuff they make often takes the place of pizza, wings, mac-and-cheese and the occasional corndog. As a result, Kip admits, “Right now the juicer is the top dog on there!”
- Kip is currently climbing his way toward the Top 10 with his new hit, “Hey Pretty Girl” from his Up All Night album.
Kip Moore reveals his current “must have” item on the road…and it may not be what you’d expect! (:34)
“A must-have on my bus.... Actually, we’ve got this juicer that we’ve all gotten hooked on. I know that sounds crazy. I know that I’m supposed to say something wild, but…there’s so much bad food! Every night you get on the bus [and] there’s pizza…there’s…you know, somebody’s brought in chicken wings or whatever. But this juicer we’ve all gotten hooked on it, and it’s like we all feel better throughout the day. So we’ve all – all five of us are using this thing all through the day so we’re not eating five plates of mac-and-cheese and corndogs, you know. So, I’d say right now the juicer is the top dog on there!”
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The last few days have been pretty cool for George Strait – since Saturday, the man has celebrated a birthday, scored his 60th number-one hit, and now tops the country album chart with his new release, Love Is Everything! This latest accomplishment is pretty substantial – consider this: Love Is Everything is King George’s 25th number-one country album, and the runners-up in the record books on that front are Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard, who’ve each topped that chart 15 times. What’s more, this is George’s 18th Top 10 album on the overall Billboard Top 200 Albums chart (where it debuts at number-two). Only three other male artists – Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley and Bob Dylan – have scored more Top 10 Billboard albums. That’s some pretty impressive and revered company, to say the least!
- Last week’s number-one country album, Lady Antebellum’s new Golden, slips to number-two on the country chart this week.
George Strait, who tops the country album chart this week with Love Is Everything, tries to describe what he looks when choosing songs to record. (:14)
“You know, I think it’s…I’ve always said melody, I think, catches my ear first. And I think that’s true for most people. I don’t know exactly what it is that I look for in a song, but just…it’s hard to put my finger on.”
Hillary Scott of Lady Antebellum talks about writing, finding and recording songs for the group’s new album, Golden. (:27)
“Knowing that, you know, we wanted to kind of continue to grow and…everybody says the word ‘evolve.’ But it’s true. We were all in different places. We had more to say, and…and so, not only did we write songs that we were really excited about that told a story that we were proud of, but we got pitched songs that were great, too. And so I think we just really relaxed into the process and…and in that relaxation it almost gave us more confidence to take some more risks.”
AUDIO:StraitOnHowHeChoosesSongs
AUDIO:LadyAFindingrecording
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Want to “sing a little chill song and get your groove on,” but need the words so that you can perfect it? Keith Urban is ready to help you out! Check out the lyric video for his new single, “Little Bit of Everything” (click here), and you’ll be all set to crank it up and sing along to every word! Trust us – this’ll come in handy this Memorial Day Weekend when the song comes on the radio while you’re cruising down the road with the windows down enjoying the unofficial start of the summer! And it’ll get you primed to sing along at the top of your lungs when Keith comes to a city near you on his Light The Fuse Tour, which kicks off July 17 in Cincinnati (and rolls through more than 40 additional cities before year’s end)!
VIDEO:Little Bit Of Everything - Official Lyric Video
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The members of Little Big Town can’t wait to hit the road with their buddy Keith Urban on his Light the Fuse Tour this summer. Karen Fairchild says it’s been a few years since they shared the bill with him on some shows, but one thing she and the rest of the group are looking forward to is the backstage catering at each stop – apparently, Keith takes good “culinary care” of everyone on the road. As Kimberly Schlapman puts it, “We’re going to get fedwell!” Keith’s Light the Fuse Tour – featuring Little Big Town and Dustin Lynch – kicks off July 18 in Cincinnati, Ohio; more than 40 stops are scheduled before the end of the year.
- Karen, Kimberly, Jimi and Philip have another important stop to make before embarking on their summer tour schedule – Thursday morning (5/23), they’re in New York to perform “Your Side of the Bed” on ABC’s Good Morning America. Watch for them (and a special CMA Music Festival announcement) in the 8:30-9:00am segment!
- “Your Side of the Bed” is Little Big Town’s third hit from Tornado. It follows the chart-topping title track and “Pontoon.”
The members of Little Big Town talk about hitting the road this summer with Keith Urban. (:25)
Karen Fairchild: “Oh, we’re so looking forward to that tour! (Others agree in the background) And the catering’s going to be phenomenal.” (All laugh)
Kimberly Schlapman: “We’re going to get fed well!”
Karen: “Keith – we haven’t been with Keith…probably [the] last time we toured with Keith was a few years ago, and it was just for a few shows. And so, you know, we’re anxious to get back on the road with him. And with Dustin [Lynch].”
Jimi: “Yeah.”
Karen: “We’re super happy for him…crankin’ out the hits.” (Jimi laughs)
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Easton Corbin slides into the top 20 of both airplay charts this week with his hit “All Over The Road.” Have you seen the music video for “All Over the Road” yet? If not, check it out – the clip finds Easton behind the wheel of a vintage Plymouth Fury, and he’s “all over the road” while driving – but with good reason! “It’s got cops…it’s got a car chase…hot girl…money…guns,” he explains. What Easton didn’t mention is that the gun is used to take him hostage…the cops are after him…and the girl is – well, let’s just say Easton is one very “distracted driver.” “I did have fun,” he says with a smile.
- “All Over the Road” is the latest hit and title track from Easton’s current album.
Easton Corbin had a good time making the music video for his latest hit, “All Over the Road”…largely because of the storyline. (:25)
“I did have fun making the ‘All Over the Road’ video. It was…it was definitely different from what this song, probably the stereotypical video you would think, you know, which would be, you know, riding down the road in a truck with a girl. And I think that’s what we went for is something to be a little bit different. And it’s totally unexpected! It’s got cops…it’s got a car chase…hot girl…money…guns, I mean…it’s fun!”
AUDIO:Easton Corbin: All Over The Road Video
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Dierks Bentley is readying a new album for release…and he’s about to give fans their first taste of what’s to come when his new single hits the airwaves next week. The song is “Bourbon in Kentucky,” and the album is called Riser. “There’s certainly a new sound to the album,” Dierks hints, adding, “With all my records, I’m always searching for ‘new’.” Fans needn’t worry that he’s making some sort of drastic departure from the kind of music they know and love, though. “The lonesome stuff is on there. And I’d say ‘Bourbon in Kentucky’ is an example of that,” Dierks explains. He’s also quick to reassure that several songs are “made for consuming cold beer.” And then there’s what Dierks calls the “third layer” of the album, offering fans a personal glimpse of “where I am in my life as a dude, as a man, as a husband [and] father…” and as a man who, since recording his last album, has lost his father. “That’s all kind of tied into it.”
- Riser is planned for release before year’s end. Be listening for “Bourbon in Kentucky” on your favorite radio station starting next Tuesday (5/28)!
Dierks Bentley talks about his forthcoming album, Riser. (:20)
“Actually, there’s certainly a new sound to the album. But I think ‘new’ is what is exciting about country music, you know? ‘New’ is what got me into country music. Hearing Hank Junior sing when I was 17-years-old was totally new to me. It might’ve been old to somebody else, but for me that was a brand new sound, and it just was…exciting. So, I think with all my records, I’m always searching for ‘new’.”
Dierks Bentley offers fans a taste of what they’ll hear on his new album, Riser. (:31)
“There are songs on the record that, you know, kind of correlate back to certain themes I’ve had in the past. Certainly the lonesome stuff is on there. And I’d say ‘Bourbon in Kentucky’ is an example of that. And then [there’s] some stuff that’s made for, uh...consuming cold beer. Then there’s kind of a third layer to the album which would be to show kind of where I am in my life as a, you know, as a dude, as a man, as a…as a husband, father…the guy – you know my dad passed away, so that’s all kind of tied into it. Just kind of a look at the world around me and making observations on that.”
AUDIO:Dierks-New Album sound
AUDIO:Dierks Bentley - New Album Overview
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Darius Rucker releases his latest album, True Believers, this week – the new collection features the hit song “Wagon Wheel,” which rolled into the #1 spot on Billboard’s country chart to start the week. The song, as you may know, is Darius’ take on the tune originally recorded by the band Old Crow Medicine Show, but what you may not know is that their original wasn’t the version that gave Darius the idea to record it. In fact, the light bulb went off for him in a very unexpected setting – “I’m at my daughter’s high school talent show…sitting in the audience with my family…and the faculty band gets up – it’s just the faculty from her school – and they play ‘Wagon Wheel’,” he recalls. By the time they were midway through the chorus, Darius knew he had to record the song! (AUDIO)
- “Wagon Wheel” features backing vocals by Darius’ friends Charles Kelly, Hillary Scott and Dave Haywood of Lady Antebellum.
Darius Rucker shares the moment when he “discovered” “Wagon Wheel” and decided he needed to record it for his new album, True Believers. (:27)
“I’m at my daughter’s high school talent show. And I’m sitting in the audience with my family – we’re watching my daughter. And the faculty band gets up, and – it’s just the faculty from her school – and they play ‘Wagon Wheel.’ And I’m sitting in the audience and they get to the middle – they get into the middle of the chorus, and I turn to my wife and I go, ‘I’ve got to cut this song!’ I’m serious! This all happened in three-and-a-half minutes, four minutes while they’re playing the song! You know I came back, we cut it, and it was great after we finished it.”
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Reigning CMA Vocal Group of the Year Little Big Town will world-premiere their video for current single, “Your Side of the Bed” this Thursday on ABC’s Good Morning America. An exclusive CMA Music Festival Announcement will also take place in the 8:30am hour.
The video, shot last month by Becky Fluke (Pistol Annies/The Civil Wars), takes place at the historic Tennessee Theater and The Oliver Hotel in Knoxville, TN and captures a look into one night, highlighting the tension and honesty in the song’s lyrics.
“Your Side of the Bed” written by Little Big Town and Lori McKenna follows up previous #1 hits “Pontoon” and “Tornado” and has been described as “stunning” and “...an unusually subtle power ballad.”
The video can be viewed in its entirety exclusively on http://goodmorningamerica.com all day Thursday.
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VIDEO:Congratulations George Strait on 60 #1 Singles!
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VIDEO:Thank You from George Strait!
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