Alan Jackson Heading to Australia!

ALAN JACKSON AUSTRALIAN TOUR DATES

• 4 March 2011 Melbourne - Rod Laver Arena
• 7 March 2011 Sydney - Acer Arena
• 10 March 2011 Brisbane - Brisbane Entertainment Centre
• 11 March 2011 Brisbane - Brisbane Entertainment Centre

                        Ticket prices (for all shows, in AUD) are:
                            Platinum: $249.90
                            Gold: $149.90
                            Silver: $99.90

SPECIAL FAN CLUB PRE-SALE (Preferred Seating) TIMES

* All times are Australian times *

START: 2:00 PM, Friday 1 October 2010
END: 5:00 PM, Monday 4 October 2010 (or until allocation exhausted)
TICKET LIMIT: 4 tickets per person per show

* After the pre-sale period, these tickets will no longer be available. *

SPECIAL PREFERRED SEATING AVAILABLE ONLY TO FAN CLUB MEMBERS

Your Membership in the Alan Jackson Fan Club will allow you Preferred Seating at select AJ concerts. You will be entitled to purchase four (4) tickets from the Alan Jackson Fan Club section. Please read all of the instructions below very carefully.

Preferred Seating tickets will be available for purchase online through the Preferred Seating page of the Fan Club section only. Not a member? Join now...

• WHERE TO PURCHASE AUSTRALIAN TOUR TICKETS:
  From the Preferred Seating page, a special link will direct to the TICKETEK website, where you will select the show you wish to attend.**You must register with Ticketek to purchase tickets.  Join here.
• PURCHASE UP TO 4 TICKETS:
  Each Fan Club Member may purchase a maximum of four (4) tickets per show to selected Alan Jackson concerts.

• Tickets are available for purchase by CREDIT CARD ONLY.
• This offer is available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Membership does not guarantee ticket availability.
• Call or email the Fan Club if you are unsure about the availability of Fan Club special seating.
• DATES AND LOCATIONS - SUBJECT TO CHANGE
  

  All on-sale dates and locations are ALWAYS subject to change, so please stay tuned to your local country music radio stations, log on to www.alanjackson.com or call the fan club office for the latest updates. The location of the Fan Club seats vary at each concert but are normally held within Rows 2 thru 25 (for highest level price). It is important to note that Fan Club members who make the effort may very well find it possible to purchase better seats through the normal ticket outlets than those you can purchase with your membership.

• Your Fan Club Membership does NOT entitle you to backstage or meet & greet passes.
• TICKETS ARE NON-REFUNDABLE and NON-TRANSFERABLE

Gwyneth Paltrow Says Country Music Brings People Together

From CMT.com :

The music in Gwyneth Paltrow's new movie with Tim McGraw, Country Strong, is, well, country strong. The title track is very powerful, and Paltrow thinks another tune on the soundtrack is pretty special, too. She's totally biased, though, because her husband Chris Martin, frontman for the band Coldplay, wrote it. It's called "Me and Tennessee." She sings it as a duet with McGraw and she says, "It's about a couple who are maybe irreparably damaged. But then the chorus is, 'Then that old song comes on, together we're singing, forever we're singing, that old country song.' So it's about country music bringing people back together when they're having a difficult time in life." I feel like that's the benchmark for any country song -- that it can bring people together, solve problems, repair damages, make you think and do all sorts of good things. That's just the power of country.

First Round Of Performers Announced For The 44th Annual CMA Awards

The star-packed lineup for “The 44th Annual CMA Awards” launches with today’s announcement that Dierks Bentley, Kenny Chesney, Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, Blake Shelton, and the pairing of Zac Brown Band with Alan Jackson are the first group of performers confirmed for “Country Music’s Biggest Night(tm).” “The 44th Annual CMA Awards,” hosted by Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood, airs live from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Wednesday, Nov. 10 (8:00-11:00 PM/ET) on the ABC Television Network.

Brad Paisley's Hits Alive

Keith Urban's Choice

Keith Urban recently unveiled two separate designs of his upcoming album cover, Get Closer and he wants the fans to pick one! This is taken from his Facebook page and if you're interested, just drop by his page and 'Like' whichever album cover you want to see in stores nationwide on the 16th of November. Personally, I prefer the first, as the second makes it look like some cheap rom-com-cum-chick-flick, but hey, it's up to you guys to decide. So, vote fast!

Taylor Swift's Speak Now (Deluxe Edition)

1. Mine
2. Sparks Fly
3. Back to December
4. Speak Now
5. Dear John
6. Mean
7. The Story of Us
8. Never Grow Up
9. Enchanted
10. Better Than Revenge
11. Innocent
12. Haunted
13. Last Kiss
14. Long Live
15. Ours
16. If This Was A Movie
17. Superman
18. Back To December (acoustic)
19. Haunted (acoustic)
20. Mine (acoustic)

Good to Be Me - Uncle Kracker ft. Kid Rock (Music Video)

My Kind of Crazy - Brantley Gilbert (Music Video)

HP7 Posters Released

Promo of SNL, Hosted By Bryan Cranston

Letter to Fans from Montgomery Gentry

From Montgomery Gentry's official website :

Dear friends and Underground members,

Eddie and Troy here.  As you may have heard, there were plans to

release a Greatest Hits yesterday but we wanted to make sure you

knew that would not be happening.  

 

BUT, know that we are working on an album of brand new material. 

We are more motivated than ever to get the biggest and baddest

Montgomery Gentry album ever out there!  Hang in there and we'll

get that done as quickly as we can.  In the meantime, we can't wait

to see you out on the road!! 

 

-Eddie and T-Roy

Country Comes Home: An Opry Celebration at the Grand Ole Opry House

Photos: Rick Diamond/Getty Images

Craig Campbell Is A Family Man

From the press release :

 It’s a family affair for Bigger Picture Group recording artist Craig Campbell on the set of his very first music video for his hit single, “Family Man.” Filmed Monday in Nashville, Campbell’s two young daughters, Preslee (2.5 yrs) and Kinni (6 weeks), are featured in the video. It was the pending birth of his oldest daughter that helped inspire the song’s meaningful lyrics.

Directed by Shaun Silva/TackleBox Films (Boys Of Fall, Kenny Chesney, Sugarland, Rascal Flatts, 3 Doors Down), the video was shot at the John W. McDougall sheet metal shop and a private historic home in Nashville.

The video for “Family Man” can be seen on TV and online in the coming weeks in advance of Craig Campbell’s debut CD launch on November. 30

“Family Man” is climbing the charts at *33 Mediabase/*35 Billboard. Campbell will perform the song on October 8 when he makes his debut Grand Ole Opry appearance.

Interview with Eddie Montgomery

Taken from Urban Country Blog :

Not long before the celebration began at the long-awaited reopening of the Grand Ole Opry on September 28th, Eddie Montgomery (half of the country superstar duo, Montgomery Gentry), took a break from his busy schedule to talk with us. Down to earth, true to his roots, passionate about his music, life and family, Eddie shares what is most important to him. This is a man who loves his country and together with Troy Gentry, Jim Beam and Operation Homefront, Montgomery Gentry is out front and center raising money and bringing awareness to the needs of the American servicemen and women and their families. At a benefit concert on October 2nd, in San Antonio, Montgomery Gentry, on behalf of Jim Beam, will give a $50,000 check to Operation Homefront. Also, a portion of the proceeds from the concert will be donated as well.


UCB: Hi Eddie, how are you doing today?



EM: Oh, I'm doing fine; just getting ready for the Opry tonight. I'm telling ya, we are really, really excited! We went in and went over sound check and were looking around at everything, and I got lost! It's so changed, so different. I tell ya, it has come back even bigger and better. It's great!




UCB: Thank you for taking the time to talk with us today. We are very excited.




EM: Thank you for having us.




UCB: Montgomery Gentry has had quite a ride over the past 11 years, with touring, 6 studio albums, 5 #1 Singles, multiple awards and nominations (including the Home Depot Humanitarian Award) and, of course, the induction last year into the Opry. It's obvious you have hit it big time and have staying power. Given all of that, where do you go from here and what is down the road?




EM: You know, we just want to keep making music, the music that everybody comes to the honky tonks to hear ... the working class people that come in to see us play and want us to sing songs to help them feel better about something that's happened. Well, the best way to put it is: We are gonna keep singing about the good, the bad, the ugly and the party on the weekends!




UCB: What inspires you to keep on doing what you do?




EM: For me, I think it is just everybody coming out. Meeting everybody, the people that come in every day and the friendships we have known from the past and the new ones made every day. It just keeping you rocking every day.




UCB: When can your fans look forward to some new music?




EM: We are working on that right now. We've left Columbia Sony after 13 years. We're wanting a new adventure to keep rocking and keep going and kind of get back and do something similar to our first album, "Tattoos and Scars"; do a little bit of "in your face" and stuff like that.




UCB: Do you have a time frame for that music and will it be a whole new album?




EM: We're going into the studio and of course we're always hunting for the hit songs. We are looking every day and looking under every rock. There's no telling where you will find a hit song.




UCB: You do some writing as well, don't you?





EM: Yes, I do. I tell you what, any time you can sit down with a writer ... to me, I'm just a fan and I'm just a learner and to be around some of the great, great songwriters of the times, legendary songwriters ... I'm just trying to pick it up. It's just unbelievable.





UCB: Let's talk about the upcoming benefit concert this weekend in San Antonio, Texas. You guys are teamed up with Jim Beam to raise money and awareness for the military-based charity, Operation Homefront, which helps American servicemen and women and their families.




EM: The funds that we are going to give, a $50,000 check on behalf of Jim Beam, will be used to support our nation's service members and their families. That's what it is all about. That's what makes this country the greatest country in the world.




UCB: For people that can't be at the concert this weekend, what can they do to help and where can we direct them to offer their services to help with this charity?




EM: They can go to the Jim Beam website or the Operation Homefront site and it should lead you right to it. We can't thank all of our servicemen and women enough, from the bottom of our hearts, because they let us live our American dream every day.




UCB: What was it about this particular organization that caught your attention and how did you first get connected with Operation Homefront?




EM: Personally, I think we take our freedom for granted. I don't think we let our American heroes, past and present, and overseas ... I don't think we say "thank you" enough. I don't think we do enough for them. I think we ought to go out of our way to try to show them how much we do care about them and what we do think about them. To me, they are the most underpaid Americans that are on our soil.




UCB: Do you have any family members or friends in the military?




EM: I'm actually named after my great uncle (Claude Edward) who was a 5th Marine and was killed in Iwo Jima. My dad and I are both named after him. Everybody in our family, except for me and my brother (we're honky tonk musicians) and my dad ... everyone else has been in the military. We need to let more people know about it. I think a lot of times, they (servicemen and women) don't ask for anything, they just go and do their job. I think that as Americans, we need to let other Americans know how much they do.




UCB: In 2006, Montgomery Gentry went on a USO Tour....




EM: We are actually planning another one! We had one planned before, but Troy lost his mother the day before we were getting ready to leave. But (the 2006 USO tour) it was totally awesome. I encourage anybody who gets the chance to go over and do something for our heroes, go do it. It changed my life, totally. Troy and I grew up in nightclubs, and always singing about all of our American heroes - because my mom and dad were honky tonk musicians and I was a little kid and being in the nightclubs (my dad played VFW's) and I'd see these guys come in from the military and at the time, I didn't understand it and didn't know it. But as I got older, then I realized how much they do for us.




UCB: Can you tell us about the upcoming USO Tour?




EM: We're in the process of working on it right now. As far as when and where, they won't let us say anything about it. But we are working on that as we talk. Actually, we are trying to put a whole world tour together. It's a blast because it's unbelievable when you go see all of our heroes and they come up and tell you how much it means to them and you're thinking, "Man, it's changing my life!" It's humbling.




UCB: Congratulations on the opening of your new restaurant, Eddie's Montgomery's Steak House, in your hometown. How is that going?




EM: It's been unbelievable. I was born and raised in bars and I grew up in my community and I still live in Kentucky, actually. My dad always said that as you can grow up, if you can do anything, help your community. So that's what we tried to do, that's what I've always wanted to do, help my community, and be a better person.




UCB: Is there anything you haven't done, that you'd like to do?



EM: I love living life every day! The way I look at it is - if God lets me live another day, it's a great day.




UCB: Is there a particular legacy that you'd like to leave behind, either personally or professionally?



EM: I definitely want to try to be a great dad, to make sure that I've done right by my kids and when I leave this world I want everybody to know that I loved living life every day. Life is very short and I wanted to live it. And I want to teach them to go after their dreams.




UCB: Thank you for bringing attention to the needs of the military men and women and their families and letting us know about your partnership with Jim Beam for the Operation Homefront benefit concert.




EM: You don't have to thank me, it's all about them. That's our main priority. We just want to make sure that they know that we love them to death.




UCB: Have a great time tonight at the Opry and happy birthday to you on Thursday! From all of us at Urban Country Blog, we want to thank you for taking the time to talk with us today.



EM: Thank you for having us!


Through the Jim Beam website, you can find the Gratitude Campaign and learn how to say thank you in American Sign Language [here].

Zac Brown Band Earns #1 With Band's Highest Sales Week Ever

From the press release :

Zac Brown Band's 'You Get What You Give' debuted with the band's highest sales week ever, selling 153,042 copies its first week and earning the #1 spot on the Billboard 200 and Billboard Country Albums charts. Zac Brown Band also claims three spots in the top 100 on Billboard 200, and three in the top 20 on Billboard Country Albums charts.

Nominated for CMA's Entertainer of the Year, the band has been showing off what makes them "one of modern music’s best musical teams" with a performance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno this past Monday and another today on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.  They also brought their live show to viewers nationwide with a streamed concert from Red Rocks (powered by UStream) that garnered almost half a million views, making the performance one of the most-viewed ever on Ustream.

The album’s first single "As She's Walking Away,'" featuring Alan Jackson, is currently bounding up the charts at #11 on the Country Songs chart.

'You Get What You Give' is the follow-up to the band's double-platinum major label debut 'The Foundation,' which was one of Billboard's Top 20 albums of 2009, featuring the band's first five No.1 hit singles including "Chicken Fried" and "Free" and holding a spot on the Billboard 200 for 97 weeks.  

Zac Brown Band on Ellen

Country Strong Original Soundtrack

OCT 26

Various Artists
"Country Strong: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack"
(RCA Nashville)

Track List:

1. Gwyneth Paltrow – 'Country Strong' Written by: Jennifer Hanson, Tony Martin and Mark Nesler
Produced by: Byron Gallimore

2. Chris Young & Patty Loveless – 'Love Don't Let Me Down' Written by: Marv Green and Troy Olsen
Produced by James Stroud

3. Sara Evans – 'A Little Bit Stronger' Written by: Luke Laird, Hillary Lindsey and Hillary Scott
Produced by: Tony Brown

4. Garrett Hedlund – 'Chances Are' Written by: Nathan Chapman, Lori McKenna and Liz Rose
Produced by: Frank Liddell and Luke Wooten for Carnival Productions

5. Lee Ann Womack – 'Liars Lie' Written by: Sally Barris, Morgane Hayes and Liz Rose
Produced by: Frank Liddell and Chuck Ainlay for Carnival Productions

6. Ronnie Dunn – 'She's Actin' Single (I'm Drinkin' Double)' Written by: Wayne Carson Thompson
Produced by: Ronnie Dunn

7. Gwyneth Paltrow – 'Shake That Thing' Written by: Mark Irwin, Josh Kear and Chris Tompkins
Produced by: Byron Gallimore

8. Hank Williams, Jr. – 'Thirsty' Written by: Dallas Davidson, Rhett Akins and Brett Eldredge
Produced by: Michael Knox

9. Faith Hill – "Give in to Me" Written by: Billy Falcon, Rose Falcon and Elisha Hoffman
Produced by: Jay Joyce

10. Trace Adkins – 'Timing Is Everything' Written by: Natalie Hemby and Troy Jones
Produced by: Kenny Beard

11. Leighton Meester – 'Words I Couldn't Say' Written by: Gregory Becker, Tammi Kidd and Steve Robson
Produced by: Nathan Chapman

12. Gwyneth Paltrow – 'Coming Home' Written by: Bob DiPiero, Tom Douglas, Hillary Lindsey and Troy Verges
Produced by: Byron Gallimore

13. Tim McGraw and Gwyneth Paltrow – 'Me and Tennessee' Written by: Chris Martin
Produced by: Byron Gallimore, Tim McGraw, and A. Martin

Ronnie Dunn Working on Solo Album

From CMT.com :

Ronnie Dunn, best known for his work with Brooks & Dunn, is working on a solo album that may be out early next year. He is also producing the project, according to Renee Bell, executive vice president of A&R at Sony Music Nashville.

Dunn's manager, Clarence Spalding, confirms that the album will be on Arista Nashville, Brooks & Dunn's longtime label, which is a division of Sony.

"He's recording two or three things," Spalding tells CMT.com. "He's mixing them and playing them for people. He's making the determination of when he's ready to go."

Dunn has recorded a solo track for Country Strong, the upcoming film starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Tim McGraw. His contribution is a cover of "She's Actin' Single (I'm Drinkin' Doubles)," a Wayne Carson Thompson song that was a No. 1 hit for Gary Stewart in 1975. Country Strong will be released nationwide on Jan. 7. The soundtrack album arrives on Oct. 26.

Dunn, 57, made a modest name for himself as a solo artist in the early 1980s when he recorded for the independent Churchill label. There he scored two chart singles -- "It's Written All Over Your Face" in 1983 and "She Put the Sad in All His Songs" in 1984. Both songs, neither of which he wrote, peaked at No. 59 on Billboard's country chart.

Kix Brooks, who teamed up with Dunn in 1991, also charted two minor singles in the '80s, both from his own pen.

Brooks & Dunn proved to be an inspired pairing from the start. Their first four singles all went No. 1, aided immeasurably by their exciting and well-crafted music videos.

During this time, Dunn came into his own as a songwriter. He and Brooks, along with Don Cook, co-wrote their first two No. 1's -- "Brand New Man" and "My Next Broken Heart." Dunn wrote the next three chart-toppers -- "Neon Moon," "Boot Scootin' Boogie" and "She Used to Be Mine" -- all on his own. He also quickly asserted himself as the act's lead vocalist.

Over the next several years, he would write or share the writing on such No. 1's as "That Ain't No Way to Go," "She's Not the Cheatin' Kind," "Little Miss Honky Tonk," "You're Gonna Miss Me When I'm Gone," "A Man This Lonely," "Red Dirt Road," "It's Getting Better All the Time" and "Play Something Country."

Before splitting up this year at the end of their triumphant Last Rodeo tour, Brooks & Dunn could look back on winning two Grammys for best country vocal performances and 14 CMA awards for vocal duo of the year. In 1996, they were voted CMA's entertainer of the year.

They performed their final show in Nashville on Sept. 2.

In the course of their career, Brooks & Dunn sold more than 30 million albums and were one of the biggest concert draws of their era. Dunn has won BMI awards for 25 of his songs.

Gwyneth Paltrow, Tim McGraw Record Chris Martin Song for Country Strong

From CMT.com :

 

Gwyneth Paltrow and Tim McGraw have recorded a song written by her husband -- Coldplay's Chris Martin -- for the upcoming film, Country Strong. The songs and performers on the soundtrack album were announced Tuesday (Sept. 28). Paltrow and McGraw, who star in the film, perform a duet of "Me and Tennessee," the closing song on the soundtrack album. She is featured on three other songs, including the title track which is currently No. 43 on Billboard's country chart. The soundtrack also includes performances by two other stars of the film -- Garrett Hedlund and Leighton Meester -- and McGraw's wife, Faith Hill. In his first recording released following the breakup of Brooks & Dunn, Ronnie Dunn provides a cover of Gary Stewart's 1975 honky-tonk hit, "She's Actin' Single (I'm Drinkin' Doubles)." Other notable tracks are Chris Young and Patty Loveless' duet, "Love Don't Let Me Down," and other songs performed by Trace Adkins, Sara Evans, Hank Williams Jr. and Lee Ann Womack. The soundtrack album will be released on Oct. 26. The film will be released in Los Angeles and Nashville on Dec. 22. It will be released nationally on Jan. 7.

Rascal Flatts Celebrates 10 Years of Success with Florida Radio

Rascal Flatts are celebrating their 10 year of country chart success and recently went to party with their friends at Florida country radio. Above, the guys are pictured with Big Machine's Jeff Davis, WIRK/West Palm Beach's John O'Connell, and WKIS/Miami's Matt Walker.

Countdown to Sugarland's 'The Incredible Machine' Begins on iTunes

Sugarland starts the countdown to new album, The Incredible Machine, today.

Each Tuesday, you can download a new track before completing the whole album on its release date, October 19.

You can grab the following songs:

Tuesday - Sept 28 - 'Incredible Machine'
Tuesday - Oct 5 - 'Wide Open'
Tuesday - Oct 12 - 'Little Miss'

Click here to go to iTunes and download the first track today.

Lady Antebellum Greets the World with Their New Single

From the press release:

Following on the heels of three consecutive No. one hits from their DOUBLE PLATINUM album NEED YOU NOW, reigning CMA Vocal Group of the Year Lady Antebellum is set to release the epic ballad “Hello World.”  The hopeful song will impact country radio on Oct.4 and places Charles Kelley’s powerful vocals front and center.

“When I first heard this song, it floored me,” says Charles Kelley.  “It’s about opening your eyes to the beauty of the world and wanting to get back to the simplicity of life...away from the rat race.”

“I’ve seen it reduce grown men to tears,” adds Hillary Scott.  “Charles delivers such an amazing vocal performance on this one...it still gives me chills every time we perform it live.”

Critics agree as Billboard says, “Kelley shines on the thoughtful and string-laden ‘Hello World,’” while Entertainment Weekly notes that “Charles Kelley's and Hillary Scott's voices intertwine with a piercing white-soul lilt that feels uniquely theirs.”

The group is nominated for five 2010 CMA Awards including Entertainer of the Year, Vocal Group of the Year, Album of the Year for NEED YOU NOW, Single of the Year for "Need You Now" and Music Video of the Year for “Need You Now.”  Each member also snagged an additional nomination individually in the Song of the Year category as songwriters for “Need You Now.”

For more news, visit www.ladyantebellum.com

Jamey Johnson and Matthew McConaughey Playing the Part

From the press release:

There was tremendous excitement on Hollywood Boulevard and Highland last week when Matthew McConaughey directed his first music video for Jamey Johnson’s song “Playing the Part.” The song is the lead single from Johnson’s 25-track double album, The Guitar Song, which debuted at #1 last week on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart and #4 on the Billboard 200.

Johnson first met McConaughey backstage at the Academy of Country Music Awards in 2009 in Las Vegas , right after winning the Song of the Year trophy for “In Color.” (PHOTO ATTACHED) McConaughey told Johnson he had been listening to his critically acclaimed album That Lonesome Song non-stop and even quoted lyrics from a few tracks. Upon that first meeting, they became close friends and a few months later McConaughey’s girlfriend, Camila Alves, secretly asked Johnson to perform at McConaughey’s 40th birthday celebration.

When discussions began regarding the music video for “Playing the Part,” Johnson immediately called McConaughey to ask if he would make a cameo appearance. After several discussions, McConaughey decided he wanted to direct the music video since he had so many ideas for the concept. In the clip, McConaughey “plays the part” of director as well as actor.

McConaughey and Johnson have developed a strong mutual admiration for each other. According to today’s Los Angeles Times, McConaughey says, “With a lot of artists, their art is one thing and they're another but there is no separation between Jamey’s music and him. Jamey doesn't perform, he's just who he is. His music is about real life: hard, honest, and funny. His subjects are simple and universal but his point of view on them is where he's a poet - like his first person point of view as the heartache in his song ‘Heartache.’ He sings about and paints pictures of places we've all been before but the way he sees them is his and his only.” About working with his friend Matthew McConaughey, Johnson says, “I don’t think I could have dreamed anything better.”