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BLAKE SHELTON WINS TWO ACAS FOR MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR AND MUSIC VIDEO: MALE

Nashville, TN – (December 6, 2011) –Blake Shelton celebrates another career-making night with two award wins at last night’s fan-voted American Country Awards. Blake took home ACAs “Music Video of the Year” and for the second consecutive year, “Music Video: Male” for his multi-week hit, “Who Are You When I’m Not Looking.” The awards top off an incredible year for Shelton who has claimed award wins from every major country awards show (ACA, ACM, CMA, CMT) this year. Last night, Shelton performed his latest heartfelt No.1 hit “God Gave Me You” at the award show.

Blake Shelton is one of the "most versatile of contemporary country singers" (The New York Times). The reigning CMA Male Vocalist of the Year for the second consecutive year recently celebrated three GRAMMY® nominations and a three-week No. 1 hit with his song, “God Gave Me You.” The single is off his release, Red River Blue and marks Shelton’s fifth consecutive No. 1. Red River Blue debuted at No. 1 on the Soundscan Top Current Albums chart and Soundscan Top Country Albums chart with the Associated Press calling the album “the best album of his career.” Shelton’s infectious multi-week No.1 hit, “Honey Bee" is also off Red River Blue and is his first ever digital Platinum single. He holds the record for the fastest-selling digital Platinum single for a male country solo artist. The single held the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Country chart for four weeks in a row with over 40 million in audience. No country artist has held this record in almost six years. Shelton has ten No. 1 hits and has not had a single peak outside the Top Ten since 2007. Shelton is currently one of the musician coaches on NBC’s “The Voice” along with superstars Christian Aguilera, Cee Lo Green and Adam Levine.

For more information on Blake Shelton, please visit www.BlakeShelton.com.

 

Facebook: www.facebook.com/BlakeShelton

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The Multi-Platinum Country Singer Reflects on Early Days as Women’s Shoe Salesman

Nashville, TN (October 13, 2011) – Before two-time Entertainer of the Year and platinum singer, Neal McCoy, made it big in country music with eleven career albums, three of them platinum and one gold, and over 25 charted singles with five #1’s, amongst numerous other accolades to his name, the entertainer got his start on another stage performing to a much different crowd. Returning for a day in his previously held role as a Longview, TX based shoe salesman, specializing in women’s footwear, Neal McCoy reflects on his pre-country entertainer nine-to-five lifestyle in Day Jobs, airing on Great American Country (GAC) October 16th, at 8:00pm EST/7:00pm CST. 

In Day Jobs, many of today’s top country stars step back in time, putting in a full day’s work at a job they held before making it big. Each one-hour episode will follow three stars as they work a shift in a variety of previously held jobs. In the process, they will discover if they still have what it takes and at the same time, come to realize just how much those early jobs helped shape their lives today.

Taking a glance back from his present day career, to his days as a young singer living in Longview, TX, McCoy supported the beginning stages of his dreams of being an entertainer by finding additional work in a local department store selling women’s shoes, a job he would hold for three years. It was in this role that the aspiring entertainer first came into contact with the general public. "It's good grooming for you. In the music business, you have to deal with different folks every day, different personalities all the time.," McCoy notes.

And even in his early days, the relentless entertainer never let his optimistic and charismatic persona slip, telling himself, "I'm gonna try to win them over. I want them to like me and I’m gonna work until they are entertained,” a motivational policy that McCoy would command from his live performances all throughout his long and illustrious career, a career that would produce such country hits as “Wink,” “The Shake,” and his current single “A-OK,” available at all digital retailers Oct. 18th, 2011.

In this episode of Day Jobs, you’ll see Neal McCoy bring that determination and spirit back to the sales floor when he literally goes toe to toe with co-worker and top Belk department store women’s shoe salesmen, Joe, to see who will be the top dog when the store doors close.

Although McCoy has toured thousands of miles and entertained thousands of people throughout the years, returning to the sales floor granted McCoy yet another unique experience, the chance to glance back at the life he once lived, as well as the ability to look into the life that may have been. But whatever the turnout of the early days of his career may or may not have been, McCoy remains determined that his life always belonged in music, and his heart, forever the heart of an entertainer working with people. Told best in his own words, McCoy explains, “I'd probably be in some job working with the public. I'm a people person, and if I wasn't singing for a living, I'd still find a way to sing.”

Try it on for yourself this Sunday as Neal McCoy brings his charismatic presence and witty charm back to the sales floor on GAC’s Day Jobs.

For more information, please visit www.nealmccoy.com or www.facebook.com/nealmccoymusic

 
NASHVILLE, TN -- (August 11, 2011) –Mercury Nashville singer/songwriter Jamey Johnson will perform at Farm Aid 2011 at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kan., on Saturday, Aug. 13, joining his friend and tour mate Willie Nelson and the other Farm Aid founders to support our nation’s family farmers.
 
Farm Aid is the longest running benefit concert series in America, raising more than $39 million to help family farmers thrive all over the country while inspiring millions of people to learn about the Good Food movement.
 
“When I was a kid, we had a little bit of land and just about every bit of it was farm,” says Johnson, who also performed at Farm Aid last year. “We would grow peas over here, a little bit of corn over there, and squash and figs. I can’t even name for you everything that we grew from this land. But the fact that we couldn’t make enough money to sustain it meant that we had to eventually move off of it and let it go to someone else.
 
“When I drive by that property today, there’s not a farm there anymore,” says Johnson, a native of Alabama. “It’s just grass, and that’s a shame. As much love and as much care as we took making sure that these different crops survived and thrived every year, it’s kind of a shame to see it turn into a hayfield. And that goes for everybody who wants to farm. They should be able to make enough money off of the sized land or the sized crops they are doing to sustain that much land, and they can’t.”
 
Johnson says you don’t have to know a farmer to care about Farm Aid.
 
“Farm Aid is not just important to me, it’s important to anybody who eats,” he says. “Farm Aid is set up to look after the family farmer, the ones that actually take part in the same crops that they produce for other people. They are not just growing food to send down the line; their family eats the same foods that they sell.”
 
Johnson is a big believer in Farm Aid’s practice of showcasing HOMEGROWN concessions, featuring local, organic or family farm-sourced ingredients at the event. “It makes no sense to cater in a meal from a frozen food or something like that when you’ve got people right up the road that grow the same product and actually grow a superior product,” he says. “The thing you’ll see at Farm Aid is people who practice what they preach. They want you to see the fruits and vegetables of their labor.
 
“It doesn’t take you long to realize that these are skilled farmers. For most of these farmers, it’s a trade that has been passed down from generation to generation, and as far back as they can remember, you know everybody in their family did this for a living. So this is a skill; it’s an art.”
 
Johnson recently completed the Country Throwdown Tour with Willie Nelson and he’s now touring the nation with his own shows. On Sept. 1, Johnson will serve as the first official performer at the Grand Opening of Track 29, Chattanooga, Tenn.’s new premiere entertainment venue.
 
While the set lists and venue sizes may change, one thing remains constant with his shows. “What the fans can expect is a great deal of good music by highly trained musicians that never sit back on their accomplishments,” he says. “My stage is full of the best musicians I could find, and we’ve gotten to be real good friends, as close as family over the past several years. Every time we pack a stage, we are doing some songs for the first time that night that we’ve never even had a rehearsal on that maybe we haven’t heard in quite awhile. So we get to come up with our own unique versions of it.
 
“Just the other night, we pulled out an old song that I’ve never played onstage but I’ve been hearing my whole life, and we managed to do a version of it that doesn’t sound like anybody else,” he says. “I feel that’s what our fans pay for when they come to see us play live. They want to see that degree of spontaneity. I mean, you may hear some stuff that we do every night, you may hear some stuff we do quite often, but every night we try to branch out a little bit and try something out. If it falls apart, I guarantee you, you’ll see us standing around and laughing at one another and we’ll go and do something else.”
 
When describing his fans, Johnson says two words come to mind: passionate and loyal. “And they get the same degree of both from me,” he says. “There’s a warm and kindred fellowship every time we get together. Sometimes we see the same faces, and man, it’s good to see them. Every time I step on a stage, I look out there across the crowd and I see a couple smiling faces that I’ve seen several times a year for the past five or six years or so. I can’t tell you what that means for me. It’s very important. It’s very soothing just to know that they’re still there.”
 
Johnson will perform at the 5^th Annual ACM Honors, which will be held at Nashville’s

Ryman Auditorium on Sept. 19.  He will pay tribute to his good friend, singer / songwriter Hank Cochran, who passed away in 2010.
 
He is currently writing and recording songs for his new album, the follow-up to his gold-certified double album, The Guitar Song, which was nominated for two Grammys, including Country Album of the Year. It was also nominated for Album of the Year at the Academy of Country Music Awards.
 
The Nashville Scene’s 11^th Annual Country Music Critics’ Poll named The Guitar

Song the best album of 2011 and named Johnson Artist of the Year, Best Male Vocalist and Best Songwriter. Both Rolling Stone andSpin ranked the album No. 5 on their lists of the Best Albums of 2010 and “Macon” was ranked No. 23 onRolling Stone’s Best Singles of 2010.

Phil Vassar, Sawyer Brown, and more join the Charlie Daniels Band on Monday, November 21, 2011 at the Ryman Auditorium
 

Nashville, TN – For the 10th Anniversary of the Charlie Daniels Band & Friends Concert to benefit Christmas 4 Kids (a division of Christmas For Kids, Inc.), Grand Ole Opry member and country music legend Charlie Daniels has announced that Phil Vassar and Sawyer Brown will join him on Monday, November 21, 2011 at the Ryman Auditorium.
 
Christmas 4 Kids is a not-for-profit organization that has been in existence for over 25 years providing many children, each year, with their very own shopping spree. The funds generated by the concert, and the Tour Bus Show/Artist Meet and Greet event, are used to give over 400 children from 29 different schools, a day-long shopping excursion.  The special day consists of a chauffeured trip from their school aboard an entertainer's luxury tour bus, lunch, and a party hosted by Santa and Mrs. Claus at College Heights Baptist Church. To wrap up the day, the tour buses journey to the Hendersonville, Tennessee Walmart, where the kids receive a brand new winter coat, and $150.00 to spend on anything they want!
  
Tickets for the concert are available through Christmas 4 Kids online at www.Christmas4kids.org, beginning September 15, 2011.

Pricing:

Tier One tickets: $60.00, Tier Two tickets: $32.50 - available September 15, 2011 
 
Any remaining reserved seating, Tier Two $32.50 only - available through Ticketmaster beginning October 21, 2011
 
This concert is sponsored in part by 95.5 WSM FM, Bob Parks Realty (Sumner County office), and coach manufacturer, Prevost Car, Inc.
  
Listing Information: 
Charlie Daniels & Friends Charity Concert
Featuring The Charlie Daniels Band, Phil Vassar, & Sawyer Brown
A benefit for Christmas 4 Kids
Monday, November 21st  / 7:00 PM / Ryman Auditorium  /  Nashville, TN

AWARDS TO HONOR SPECIAL WOMEN FOR
THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE MUSIC INDUSTRY

   

Music industry icon BRENDA LEE and long-time Grand Ole Opry star JEANNIE SEELY will once again host this year’s Ninth Annual SOURCE Awards, slated for Thursday, August 25, 2011at the Noah Liff Opera Center in Nashville. The SOURCE Awards is an annual celebration honoring women in the music industry for their tireless work and contributions to the business. Multiple Country Music Hall of Fame inductee LEE has been involved with the awards since its inception in 2003 and received the Jo Walker-Meador Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006. SEELY joined LEE in hosting the awards in 2006.

“This has become a labor of love for these special women,” said KAY SMITH, chairman and founder of the SOURCE Awards. “Many of the women we have honored were integral in their own careers, and in some cases are also personal friends. Brenda and Jeannie have claimed ownership of the podium, and we couldn’t be more thrilled and grateful.  Their natural wit and charm adds intimacy, humor, and warmth to the event and always without fail sets the tone for an unparalleled evening of recognition.”

This year’s 2011 SOURCE Awards Honorees are Roberta Edging (Eddy Arnold Enterprises), Millie Kirkham (WSM Radio, Tree Music Publishing, Legendary Background Vocalist),Barbara Orbison (Barbara Orbison Productions, Roy Orbison Music, Pretty Woman Perfume), Evelyn Shriver (Evelyn Shriver Public Relations, Asylum Records, Bandit Records), Janice Erickson Wendell (Noble Dury, Erickson Advertising) plus a posthumous recognition for Georgia Twitty Chellman (Gospel Jubilee, Music City Hotline, Veeson Travel, Tennessee T-Cake).

Reservations are $75.00 per person.  Mail check to SOURCE, Attn:  Betty Sanders, Box 331126, Nashville, TN 37203-7510. Note that seating is limited and reservations are required by July 28.

For Sponsorships, contact Margie Hunt at mhuntmusicservices@comcast.net.

Founded in 1991, SOURCE is a nonprofit organization supporting women executives and professionals who work in all facets of the Nashville music industry. In 2003, the annual SOURCE Awards were established to pay respect and honor the women who helped to develop and build upon the foundation of the music industry in Nashville. SOURCE also pays tribute to women who presently make major contributions with their work in the industry.

Megan Alexander and Storme Warren return to host the 17th Annual Inspirational Country Music Awards - A Night of Faith, Family & Country on October 28th,
8:00 p.m. at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center
 

Nashville, TN – On October 24-28, the Christian Country Music Association and The Tennessee Breast Cancer Coalition are teaming up to turn Nashville PINK during Inspirational Country Music Week. ICM Week will feature evening showcases highlighting 2011 ICM Award nominees, a silent auction with proceeds going to the Breast Cancer Awareness Fund, exhibits, seminars, and much more! On Friday, October 28th, the week will come to a close with the 17thAnnual Inspirational Country Music Awards – A Night of Faith, Family & Country.
 
Monday-Thursday’s events will take place at the Millennium Maxwell House Hotel, and on Friday the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in downtown Nashville will play host for the 17th Annual ICM Awards. Returning as hosts are beloved television personalities Megan Alexander and Storme Warren. Alexander, correspondent for Inside Edition, television’s longest-running, top-rated syndicated news magazine, emcees countless charity events and seminars around the country and frequently appears on CNN Headline News' Showbiz Tonight as a guest commentator. Warren, host of the popular Great American Country (GAC) entertainment news show Headline Country and radio personality on Sirius XM's The Highway, is a cherished member of the community and can also be seen hosting numerous charity events throughout the year.

Prior to the awards show, the first-ever PINK Carpet Gala Event will take place as breast cancer survivors, country artists, celebrities and more join to celebrate and raise awareness for the cause. During the ceremony, orchestra seating will be filled with breast cancer survivors, each of which will be sponsored by a family member, friend, or business. For more information on sponsoring a Breast Cancer Survivor, please contact Ray Henson at 615-742-9210 x229 or visit www.ICM-awards.com.
 
Tickets for the ICM Awards show are now available for purchase online by visiting www.ICM-awards.com. Ticket prices start at $50 and include access to the PINK Carpet Gala Event.
 
The annual Inspirational Country Music Awards are dedicated to honoring and showcasing the biggest names and emerging talent among artists who perform Christian and Inspirational Country Music. Inspirational music is inspired by Faith, Family, and Country™.  The member-voted ICM Awards Show is the keynote event of Inspirational Country Music Week (ICM Week), in Nashville, TN. Past shows have included performers such as: Ricky Skaggs, Randy Houser, Craig Morgan, Point of Grace, Wynonna, Josh Turner, The Oak Ridge Boys, Bellamy Brothers, Lee Greenwood, Andy Griggs, Jamie O’Neal, Lonestar, Merle Haggard, and more!
 
For additional information, please visit www.ICM-awards.com.
 
ICM Week is brought to you by Kyser Musical Products.

NASHVILLE, TN – (June 10, 2011) – Warner Bros. Records red hot duo, the JaneDear girls, will premiere their new music video, “Shotgun Girl,” on CMT Top 20 Countdown. Beginning today, June 10, the fashionable new video will be available on CMT, CMT Pure CMT.com, CMT Radio Networks and Country Radio. The up-tempo sing-along song “Shotgun Girl” is the JaneDear girls’ current single, and revels in the girls’ love for riding shotgun in a country boy’s truck. To watch the video, click here: http://budurl.com/JaneDearPremiere “Susie Brown and Danelle Leverett make up this highly stylized duo, which is as adept on mandolin and fiddle as on electric guitar” (The New York Times). Their self-titled album debuted at No. 10 on the SoundScan Current Country Albums chart and is “brassy and chipper and fun” (The New York Times). Their “harmony-rich boot-stomper” (Boston Globe) Top 15 hit single, “Wildflower,” is the perfect introduction to the duo’s high energy, soaring harmonies and world-class instrumental skills. The girls play a total of eight instruments (Accordion, Acoustic guitar, Bass, Electric guitar, Fiddle, Gango, Harp and Mandolin) and, between the two of them, penned every song on their self-titled debut album, which boasts a fully loaded 11-track ensemble of pure Country rock. the JaneDear girls are currently opening select dates on Brad Paisley’s H20 II World Tour. For more information on the JaneDear girls, please visit www.theJaneDeargirls.com.

Event Partner, Farmboy Brand Clothing, Offers New Look to Fans

 
Saskatchewan, Canada –The words “farm” and “fashion” seldom go together in a sentence.  But at this summer’s Craven Country Jamboree they perfectly complement each other thanks to a continued, lucrative partnership between the Jamboree and Farm Boy Brand Clothing.

“Farm Boy/Farm Girl is a fun and fresh clothing line that salutes the farmer and the farming way of life,” says Brian Andrews, Craven Country Jamboree organizer, “and at the 2011 festival, the Farm Boy/Farm Girl brand will be prominently displayed on banners, on stage back drops and even at our Meet & Greet tent.”

Farm Boy/Farm Girl has created a wildly popular look for this summer’s Craven Country Jamboree merchandise line, with original styles that appeal to fans of all ages.  Farm Boy/Farm Girl attire features a whimsical, humorous interpretation of the Craven County Jamboree and is inspired by the rural lifestyle of Saskatchewan, Canada.  “We tip our caps to hard work, early mornings, late nights, tradition and being part of a timeless community,” the company says on its website, www.farmboybrand.com.

The 2011 Craven Country Jamboree boasts an exciting country star line-up, from legends like Mel Tillis and The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, to more recent big names like Neal McCoy, Tracy Lawrence and John Michael Montgomery, to today’s hot hit makers like Darius Rucker, Rascal Flatts and Sugarland. 
Country super-group Sawyer Brown will kick off the Jamboree on July 14^th.  Their show is sponsored by Farm Boy/Farm Girl  Brand clothing.

For a sneak peek at this summer’s exciting new Farm Boy/Farm Girl  line, visitwww.cravencountryjamboree.com and look for the Farmboy Brand logo.

Series Continues This Sunday at 10pm EST

 
Nashville, TN (April 15, 2011) – The Judds highly anticipated original docu-series debuted this past Sunday with over 1.7 million total viewers tuning in to watch the special two-hour premiere featuring the mother-daughter duo preparing for their first tour together in 10 years.  Outside of launch week,The Judds was the highest rated premiere on the new Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) as well as the number one social media trend for cable during the episode.  Hundreds of viewers logged on to participate in a live, online chat during the two-hour premiere. 
 
The country legends held nothing back during the 2-hour premiere, offering viewers a behind-the-scenes glimpse of both their personal and professional lives.  Whether it was disagreements over stage props and costumes or extremely intimate conversations with their life coach, Ted Klontz, fans and viewers were witness to it all.  The audience got the opportunity to witness the elements that make up the complex relationship between Naomi and Wynonna as well as the excitement and emotion that comes along with putting together a nationwide farewell tour.  In case you missed it, a full episode of The Judds can now be viewed at http://www.oprah.com/own-judds/The-Judds-Naomis-Secret-FULL-EPISODE.   
 
Tune in this week as Naomi struggles with memories of her childhood abuse and deals with the decision on whether or not to reveal her painful secret to those closest to her.  Meanwhile, Wynonna’s relationship with Cactus deepens as he joins her on the tour and supports her when she grows concerned that her mother is hiding something important from her.  The Judds episode 3 will air this Sunday, April 17 at 10pm ET/PT on OWN. 
 
If you would like to receive video clips previewing the latest episode, please contact Domenic Morea atDomenic_Morea@own.tv.

*Photo by Matthew Rolston/Courtesy of OWN

“Honey Bee” sells over 138,000 digital singles in its debut week, a feat unmatched by any country male soloist to date

This is Shelton’s highest charting debut single

NASHVILLE, TN – (April 13, 2011) – A lot can happen in a week. This rings particularly true for hot country star Blake Shelton who sold over 138,000 digital singles of “Honey Bee” in its debut week, a feat unmatched by any country male soloist to date. “Honey Bee” also hit No. 31 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs Chart and No. 36 on Country Aircheck MediabaseChart making it his highest single chart debut. Shelton made the world premiere debut of “Honey Bee” last Sunday, April 3 LIVE on CBS at the 46^th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards.

This past year, Blake Shelton, one of the "most versatile of contemporary country singers" (The New York Times), proves he is a force to be reckoned with after winning six awards including CMA Award for "Male Vocalist of the Year," receiving three consecutive No. 1's ("Who Are You When I'm Not Looking," "All About Tonight" and "Hillbilly Bone"), selling out shows on his first ever headlining tour "All About Tonight Tour," his first No. 1 album All About Tonight, receiving his first GRAMMY nomination and is currently a coach on NBC's “The Voice” which premieres April 26. In addition to these amazing accolades, Shelton's latest CD, LOADED: The Best of Blake Shelton, debuted in the Top 10 on the Country Charts adding Shelton into an elite group of artists who have charted three records in one year (among those are Garth Brooks, Kenny Chesney and Alan Jackson). Shelton's eight No. 1 hits are "Who Are You When I'm Not Looking," "All About Tonight," "Hillbilly Bone," "She Wouldn't Be Gone," "Home," "Some Beach," "The Baby" and "Austin." Shelton has not had a single peak outside the Top Ten since 2007.

 

For additional information on Blake Shelton, please visit www.BlakeShelton.com.