Posts Tagged ‘Thompson Square’

Blake Shelton Invites Kenny Loggins to Join His Performance of “Footloose” as the Opening Song on “The 45th Annual CMA Awards”

NASHVILLE, Tenn. , Nov. 2, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Reigning CMA Male Vocalist of the Year Blake Shelton has invited legendary singer/songwriter Kenny Loggins to join him during a performance of the classic hit “Footloose” as the opening song for “The 45th Annual CMA Awards.”

“The 45th Annual CMA Awards,” hosted by Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood , airs live from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Wednesday, Nov. 9 (8:00-11:00 PM/ET) on the ABC Television Network. Previously announced performers for “Country Music’s Biggest Night™” include Jason Aldean , The Band Perry, Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Sara Evans, Faith Hill, Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, Martina McBride, Scotty McCreery , Sugarland, Taylor Swift , Thompson Square, Keith Urban ,Chris Young , and Zac Brown Band , plus Kenny Chesney and Grace Potter singing their hit collaboration “You and Tequila;” Vince Gill , Paisley, and Urban performing a tribute to Glen Campbell ;Rascal Flatts and Natasha Bedingfield singing their current hit duet “Easy;” Lionel Richie performing select duets with Little Big Town, Rascal Flatts, and Darius Rucker ; and co-hosts Paisley and Underwood in their first live televised-performance of their No. 1 song “Remind Me.”

Written by Loggins and Dean Pitchford as the title song for the motion picture of the same name, “Footloose” was a No. 1 smash hit for Loggins for three weeks in 1984. With the remake of the movie currently in theaters, Shelton is dancing up the charts with his version of the song.

Loggins has built a successful, decades-spanning career on the foundation of his songs. He first received national attention as part of the duo Loggins & Messina with Jim Messina, achieving hits such as “Your Mama Don’t Dance” and selling more than 16 million albums. As a songwriter, he wrote or co-wrote such classics as “Danny’s Song” (a Top 10 hit on both the Billboard Country and Hot 100 charts for Anne Murray in 1972), “A Love Song” (also a Top 10 hit on the Billboard Country Singles chart for Murray in 1974), and “What A Fool Believes” (which hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1979 for co-writer Michael McDonald’s band The Doobie Brothers). As a solo artist, Loggins wrote and/or recorded such favorites as “Whenever I Call You ‘Friend’” (a duet with Stevie Nicks), “This is It,” “I’m Alright,” “Heart to Heart,” “Meet Me Halfway,” “Danger Zone,” “Conviction of the Heart,” “For the First Time,” “House at Pooh Corner,” and more.

Shelton received five CMA Awards nominations this year including Entertainer; Male Vocalist; Album for All About Tonight; and Single and Music Video of the Year, both for “Honey Bee.” This feat tied him with Aldean, Paisley, and Swift as the artists who received the most CMA Awards nominations in 2011. This is the first year that Shelton has been nominated in the Entertainer and Album of the Year categories.  He has won two CMA Awards thus far in his career. In addition to Male Vocalist, he also won Musical Event of the Year in 2010 for his performance of “Hillbilly Bone” with Trace Adkins. Shelton’s current album isRed River Blue , featuring the Platinum-certified digital single “Honey Bee” and his fifth consecutive No. 1 hit “God Gave Me You.” In total, Shelton has racked up 10 No. 1 hits.

“The 45th Annual CMA Awards” is a production of the Country Music Association. Robert Deaton is the Executive Producer, Paul Miller is the Director, and David Wild is the writer. The special will be shot in high definition and broadcast in 720 Progressive (720P), ABC’s selected HDTV format, with 5.1 channel surround sound.

Premiere Radio Networks is the official radio packager of the CMA Awards. Chevrolet™ is a Proud Partner of the CMA Awards and Official Ride of Country Music. American Airlines is the Official Airline of the 2011 CMA Awards. Macy’s is the official presenting partner of the CMA Awards Red Carpet.  Patron Tequila and Ultimat Vodka presented at The 45th Annual CMA Awards. CMA is a Proud Supporter of DRIVE4COPD.

SOURCE Country Music Association

Vince Gill, Brad Paisley, and Keith Urban Pay Tribute to Glen Campbell on “The 45th Annual CMA Awards”

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Oct. 31, 2011 /PRNewswire/ —  Reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year Brad Paisleyand former CMA Entertainers of the Year Vince Gill and Keith Urban will pay tribute to Country Music Hall of Fame member and former CMA Entertainer of the Year Glen Campbell during “The 45th Annual CMA Awards.” The three guitar virtuosos’ performance saluting the legendary singer/musician will be a highlight of “Country Music’s Biggest Night™.”

“The 45th Annual CMA Awards,” hosted by Paisley and Carrie Underwood , airs live from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Wednesday, Nov. 9 (8:00-11:00 PM/ET) on the ABC Television Network. Previously announced performers include Jason Aldean, The Band Perry, Luke Bryan, Eric Church,Sara Evans, Faith Hill, Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, Martina McBride, Scotty McCreery, Sugarland, Taylor Swift, Thompson Square, Keith Urban, Chris Young, and Zac Brown Band, plusKenny Chesney and Grace Potter singing their hit collaboration “You and Tequila;” Rascal Flatts andNatasha Bedingfield singing their current hit duet “Easy;” Lionel Richie performing a medley of hits with Little Big Town, Rascal Flatts, and Darius Rucker ; and co-hosts Paisley and Underwood in their first live televised-performance of their No. 1 song “Remind Me.”

Campbell was named both CMA Entertainer and Male Vocalist of the Year in 1968, and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2005. The legendary performer has sold more than 45 million albums and recorded such classic hits as “Wichita Lineman,” “Gentle On My Mind,” “Galveston,” “By the Time I Get to Phoenix,” “Southern Nights,” and “Rhinestone Cowboy.” As a musician, Campbell was part of the much-heralded Wrecking Crew that performed on a variety of artists’ albums. His guitar prowess is featured on the Beach Boys’ seminal album Pet Sounds and on Frank Sinatra’s megahit “Strangers in the Night,” among others. He acted alongside John Wayne in the movie “True Grit,” and hosted “The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour” on television from 1968-1972. Earlier this year, Campbell announced he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. He is in the midst of his successful Goodbye Tour after releasing his final album, the critically-acclaimed Ghost on the Canvas.

Gill is No. 3 on the list for the most career wins in CMA Award history, having won 18 CMA Awards thus far, including two Entertainer Awards (1993, 1994), five consecutive Male Vocalist Awards (1991-1995, tying him with George Strait for the most wins in that category), two Album Awards (1993 for I Still Believe in You and 1994 for Common Thread: The Songs of the Eagles), and a record-holding four Song of the Year Awards (1991 for “When I Call Your Name,” 1992 for “Look at Us,” 1993 for “I Still Believe In You,” and 1996 for “Go Rest High On That Mountain”). Gill served as host of the CMA Awards for 12 consecutive years (1992-2003), a record for hosts of any nationally televised Awards show. He released his new album, Guitar Slinger, last week.

The reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year, Paisley received five nominations in 2011 for Entertainer; Male Vocalist; Album for This is Country Music; and Musical Event and Music Video of the Year for “Old Alabama,” featuring Alabama. Paisley has won 14 CMA Awards to date, including three consecutive Male Vocalist Awards (2007-2009) and Album of the Year (in 2006 for Time Well Wasted). This is his fourth consecutive year to co-host the CMA Awards with Underwood.

Urban received two nominations this year: Entertainer and Male Vocalist of the Year. He has won four CMA Awards to date: Entertainer in 2005 and three consecutive Male Vocalist of the Year Awards (2004-2006). Urban’s current album is Get Closer.

“The 45th Annual CMA Awards” is a production of the Country Music Association. Robert Deaton is the Executive Producer, Paul Miller is the Director, and David Wild is the writer. The special will be shot in high definition and broadcast in 720 Progressive (720P), ABC’s selected HDTV format, with 5.1 channel surround sound.

Premiere Radio Networks is the official radio packager of the CMA Awards. Chevrolet™ is a Proud Partner of the CMA Awards and Official Ride of Country Music. American Airlines is the Official Airline of the 2011 CMA Awards. Macy’s is the official presenting partner of the CMA Awards Red Carpet.  CMA is a Proud Supporter of DRIVE4COPD.

SOURCE Country Music Association

Web Site: http://www.cmaworld.com

Lionel Richie to Debut Songs From His Highly Anticipated Country Duets Album – Tuskegee – on “The 45th Annual CMA Awards” Airing Nov. 9 on ABC

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Oct. 26, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — International icon Lionel Richie will release Tuskegee , his much-anticipated Country duets album, in March on Mercury Nashville, after debuting songs on the national broadcast of “The 45th Annual CMA Awards,” airing live Wednesday, Nov. 9 (8:00-11:00 PM/ET) on the ABC Television Network.

During the broadcast Richie will perform select duets of his runaway hits with Little Big Town, Darius Rucker , and Rascal Flatts. Richie is no stranger to the CMA Awards stage. In 1984, Richie performed “Lady” with Kenny Rogers and in 1986, he performed “Deep River Woman” with Alabama.

“Twenty-five years is too long to wait and we are thrilled to have Lionel back on the CMA Awards stage performing alongside our superstar acts,” said CMA Chief Executive Officer Steve Moore . “This is what the CMA Awards are known for. Those one-of-a-kind collaborations you don’t want to miss because everyone will be talking about it the next day.”

“The 45th Annual CMA Awards” is hosted by Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood and features performances by Jason Aldean , The Band Perry, Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Sara Evans, Faith Hill, Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert , Martina McBride, Scotty McCreery , Blake Shelton, Sugarland, Taylor Swift , Thompson Square, Keith Urban , Chris Young , Zac Brown Band, plus Kenny Chesney and Grace Potter singing their hit collaboration “You and Tequila,” Rascal Flatts and Natasha Bedingfield singing their current hit duet “Easy,” and co-hosts Paisley and Underwood in their first live televised-performance of their No. 1 song “Remind Me.”

Surpassing his creative and personal boundaries, Richie comes full circle with the innovative and personal Tuskegee, performing 13 of his most revered “anthems of our day” with some of the biggest names in Country Music, including Aldean, Chesney, Billy Currington, Little Big Town, Tim McGraw, Sugarland’s Jennifer Nettles, Rascal Flatts, Rucker, and Blake Shelton. On this worldwide, multi-genre album, Richie is also joined by the likes of such superstars as Shania Twain, Kenny Rogers, Willie Nelson, and Jimmy Buffett.

Tuskegee is an exciting and transcendent arc in a career that has seen album sales of more than 100 million, 22 Top 10s, five Grammys, an Academy Award for Best Original Song, a Golden Globe, and a host of other awards from virtually every major entertainment organization.

While defying boundaries and breaking barriers throughout his storied career, Richie reveals once again that Tuskegee will join the ranks of his timeless body of work that touches people of all faiths, ages and demographics across the world.

“As my songwriting progressed, I realized that my songs perfectly translated to the Country genre,” says the living legend as he taps on the keys of the piano in his state-of-the-art recording studio.

It was when Conway Twitty sang “Three Times a Lady“ along with songs such as “Lady” and “Deep River Women” that Richie knew Country Music was clearly omnipresent in the lyrics he wrote.

“I was born and raised in Tuskegee, Alabama. I am a country boy and proud of it. To do this project just felt natural,” says Richie.

“Growing up with Country, R&B, gospel, and classical music from my grandmother and pop, Tuskegeewas the perfect melting pot for my influences as a writer,” he says, “and the title, Tuskegee , is a validation of my growing up there—the place I call home.”

Envisioning and bringing Tuskegee to life with such grace and passion has been a rewarding, revelatory time for Richie.

“What began as a collaboration of talented people ended up being a great group of friends getting together to make great music,” says Richie.

“Tuskegee is a state of mind as it is a place,” he adds, “a place of possibility, hope, promise, self-empowerment, and where dreams come true.”

Lionel Richie’s Tuskegee Track-Listing:

1. “You Are” with Blake Shelton
2. “Say You, Say Me” with Jason Aldean
3. “Stuck On You” with Darius Rucker
4. “Deep River Woman” with Little Big Town
5. “My Love” with Kenny Chesney
6. “Dancing On The Ceiling” with Rascal Flatts
7. “Hello” with Jennifer Nettles
8. “Sail On” with Tim McGraw
9. “Endless Love” with Shania Twain
10. “Just For You” with Billy Currington
11. “Lady” with Kenny Rogers
12. “Easy” with Willie Nelson
13. “All Night Long” with Jimmy Buffett

“The 45th Annual CMA Awards” is a production of the Country Music Association. Robert Deaton is the Executive Producer, Paul Miller is the Director, and David Wild is the writer. The special will be shot in high definition and broadcast in 720 Progressive (720P), ABC’s selected HDTV format, with 5.1 channel surround sound.

Premiere Radio Networks is the official radio packager of the CMA Awards. Chevrolet™ is a Proud Partner of the CMA Awards and Official Ride of Country Music. American Airlines is the Official Airline of the 2011 CMA Awards. Macy’s is the official presenting partner of the CMA Awards Red Carpet.  CMA is a Proud Supporter of DRIVE4COPD.

SOURCE Country Music Association