Lee Brice creates song for Clemson football

Country singer Lee Brice isn't joking when he says he wants to get back onto the football field. 

"I promise you that I'll be back some day," said the 33-year-old Brice, who was a long snapper for Clemson University but had to quit the sport because of an arm injury. "I miss it so much. I just love the excitement and adrenaline." 

For now, Brice will do the next best thing. 

Brice worked with co-writers Brian Davis and Billy Montana to produce a song that the Clemson Tigers football team will use to fire up the players' entrances. The song, "Orange Empire," will debut for this weekend's home game against Ball State

"I wanted to do it right and spend as much time for this song as I would for anything on my album," said Brice, who Wednesday was nominated by the Country Music Association for best new artist. "I dug in and tried to remember what it felt like to run out on the field. I wanted to re-create that same feeling." 

It all began when Brice just wanted to attend a football game as a fan. 

"I asked my management to find a date for me to play a show a Friday before a football game so I could watch the Tigers play," Brice said. "And it led to this. It's been amazing. My emotions will be sky-high when they play it for the first time." 

And Brice will get his wish to perform around a Tigers game: He will play Nov. 23 at Littlejohn Coliseum, the night before the Tigers play rival South Carolina.

Jason Aldean and Lady Antebellum Announce

Jason Aldean and Lady Antebellum Announce Final Nominees on ABC's "Good Morning America" For "The 46th Annual CMA Awards" Live From New York City on Wednesday, Sept. 5

"Country Music's Biggest Morning" will be held on the world's biggest stage, when Jason Aldean and Lady Antebellum announce the final nominees for "The 46^th Annual CMA Awards" on Wednesday, Sept. 5 from "Good Morning America" and the Hard Rock Cafe located in Times Square in New York City.

Aldean and Lady Antebellum will announce the final nominees in five CMA Awards categories live from the "Good Morning America" studios on ABC. The announcement will air in the 8:30 AM/ET half-hour segment of the morning news program. Following the announcement, at 9:15 AM/ET, Aldean and Lady Antebellum will head over to the Hard Rock Cafe to announce the finalists in the remaining seven categories. The last time all of the CMA Awards nominees were announced in New York City was 2005.

"The CMA Awards are 'Country Music's Biggest Night,' and it's something that all of us look forward to all year. From the day the nominations are announced up until the show, there's a lot of build-up and anticipation for the Awards and also for the performances," explained Aldean. "I feel honored to be able to help make the nominations announcement on 'Good Morning America,' and hopefully I'll get to read some of my friends' names that morning."
"I'll never forget our first CMA nomination and what that felt like," added Lady Antebellum's Charles Kelley. "The CMAs have been really good to us the last few years, and it's still unbelievable to me when I see our name on a list of nominees. That night is always such a blast because it's your chance to catch up with everyone and celebrate Country Music and all the hard work put in throughout the year."
In Nashville, members of CMA and the media will be invited to a breakfast (8:00 AM/CT) at CMA to learn the nominees with the rest of the country via live stream at CMAawards.com.
Lee Brice will be on hand in Nashville to announce the finalists for the 2012 CMA Broadcast Award Personality and Radio Station of the Year in four categories (small, medium, large, and major markets), as well as the finalists for the CMA National Broadcast Personality of the Year at 8:15 AM/CT. CMA's radio partner, Premiere Networks, will carry the Awards and Broadcast Award nominations to Country Radio.
"This is the Year of Country Radio and we are very excited to include our membership in the announcement of the nominees as we recognize the outstanding achievements of these radio professionals and stations," said Steve Moore, CMA Chief Executive Officer.
The current CMA Album of the Year, Aldean's double-Platinum fourth record My Kinda Party was the top-selling Country album of 2011 and the No. five top-seller in all of music, spawning five consecutive No. 1 hits. With more than six million records sold and nine career No. 1 singles, Aldean is set to release his highly anticipated fifth studio album Night Train on Oct. 16, with the first single "Take A Little Ride" already posting record sales and radio airplay numbers.The Georgia native's 2012 MY KINDA PARTY TOUR, presented by State Farm, has sold out every show so far this year, many in a matter of minutes, with his first stadium show in August selling out more than two months in advance.
The six-time, CMA Award-winning and reigning Vocal Group of the Year Lady Antebellum's Platinum third disc Own The Night debuted at the No. 1 position on Billboard's Top 200 and has spawned two No. 1 hits, "We Owned The Night" and "Just A Kiss," tallying six career chart-topping hits. The album also serves as inspiration for their current headlining OWN THE NIGHT 2012 WORLD TOUR, which recently marked an attendance milestone of more than one million fans after completing legs in the U.S., Canada, and Europe. The trio will wrap their World Tour in October with already sold out shows in Australia.
Aldean received his first of seven CMA Award nominations in 2007 for the Horizon Award (now known as New Artist of the Year). In 2011, he was nominated for five CMA Awards, including Entertainer, Male Vocalist, and Single of the Year ("Don't You Wanna Stay"). He picked up two trophies for Musical Event of the Year for "Don't You Wanna Stay" with Kelly Clarkson and Album of the Year for My Kinda Party.
Lady Antebellum has won six CMA Awards starting with New Artist of the Year in 2008; Single of the Year ("I Run to You") in 2009 and again for "Need You Now" in 2010; and Vocal Group of the Year in 2009, 2010, and 2011.
"We are pleased to have these dynamic artists bring these important and highly anticipated announcements to the media capital of the world, and still be able to share the excitement live with our constituents in Nashville," Moore said.
Brice recently topped the charts with his first Platinum-selling No. 1 hit, "A Woman Like You," from his new Curb Records' album, Hard 2 Love. Brice also scored back-to-back BillboardAwards in 2010 and 2011 for the most played Country Song of the Year.
"It's been a great year for me at Country radio," commented Brice. "I'm proud to be able to honor those stations that have done so much for me this year by announcing the finalists for the CMA Broadcast Awards live from Nashville."
The audio announcement of the CMA Awards nominees will be available via satellite and FTP from CMA's radio partner Premiere Networks. CMA Broadcast Awards finalist announcements will also be available via FTP.Premiere has provided outstanding radio coverage of the CMA Awards nominations since 1997. Any Country radio station interested in receiving the radio package, including the nominations feed, may contact Premiere Affiliate Relations at (818) 377-5300.
The CMA Awards nominees and winners are determined by the 11,000 industry professional members of CMA, which was formed in 1958 as the first trade organization to promote an individual genre of music. The first "CMA Awards Banquet and Show" was held in 1967. The following year, the CMA Awards was broadcast on NBC television for the first time making it the longest-running annual music awards program on network television. The show aired on NBC through 1971 and on the CBS Television Network from 1972 through 2005 before moving to ABC in 2006. ABC will be the network home of the CMA Awards through 2021.
The third and final ballot will be emailed to CMA members Oct. 4. Voting for the CMA Awards final ballot ends at 5:00 PM/CT, Oct. 22.
The 2011 CMA Awards was the No. 1 entertainment show for the week among the key advertising Adults 18-49 sales demographic. The special beat its nearest competition by 5.6 million viewers and by 26 percent in Adults 18-49, according to Nielsen.
Held during November Sweeps (Nov. 9), "The 45^th Annual CMA Awards" on ABC dominated the night winning all six of its half-hours in total viewers and Adults 18-49. With a primetime sweep, ABC finished No. 1 on Wednesday in Viewers across all key demos including Adult, Men, and Women (18-34/18-49/25-54), as well as finishing as the top broadcaster with Teens (12-17).
In Total Viewers (16.4 million; 17.49 Live+7) and Adults 18-49 (4.8/13; 5.2/14 Live+7) it was ABC's strongest Wednesday in two years with an estimated 35 million viewers watching at least some portion of the three-hour live gala.
"The 46^th 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.
"Good Morning America" is a two-hour, live program anchored by Robin Roberts and George Stephanopoulos. Josh Elliott is the news anchor, Lara Spencer is lifestyle anchor, and Sam Champion is the weather anchor. The morning news program airs Monday-Friday (7:00-9:00 AM/ET) on the ABC Television Network.
Chevrolet is the Official Ride of Country Music.American Airlines is the Official Airline of the CMA Awards.

60 Seconds With Lee Brice

 

After discussing his latest album, ‘Hard 2 Love,’ and the emotional toll being a touring artist can take on relationships, Lee Brice had a minute — literally, one minute — to talk about the truly important things in life.
We peppered him with questions about everything from which late night restaurant he’s most likely to be found at after a show, to whether or not he’s ever been arrested. The ‘Woman Like You’ singer was kind enough to oblige, giving open and honest answers… unless it meant getting him in further trouble with the law.
60 Seconds With Lee Brice
Question 1: Last book you read?
‘The Plantation’ (by Chris Kuzneski). I was bored for a few days so I picked up this old book and it was just about this family from Charleston.
Question 2: Did you ever get suspended or arrested in high school?
[laughs] Not in high school [laughs].
Question 3. What dream is harder to reach, the NFL or country music superstardom?
I guess it’s probably hard to be a country guy because there’s a lot of work and driving. Football, you gotta be talented, so I don’t know. It’s pretty hard. I didn’t try the NFL, so I couldn’t answer that. (Brice further explained he had a shot at the NFL before getting injured at Clemson University)
Question 4. Denny’s, Waffle House, IHOP, White Castle or other?
Waffle House. Or Huddle House, if you’re in the south.
Question 5. Topped, Smothered, Covered, Capped …
[laughs] All of the above.
Question 6. Who’s the toughest woman in country music?
Well, probably Miranda [Lambert].
Or, believe it or not, maybe Martina McBride. [laughs] She’s a little tough cookie. She looks all innocent and quiet and soft, but she’s a tough cookie. She can handle the whiskey like the men can.
Question 8. What’s the last album you bought?
Actually I just bought the Maroon 5 record that Mutt Lange produced (‘Hands All Over’). It is so good.

 

Jerrod Niemann Reveals

Jerrod Niemann Reveals ‘Free the Music’ Cover and Track Listing

Jerrod Niemann is helping his fans gear up for the release of his highly anticipated sophomore album. “Free the Music’ is set to hit stores in less than two months — October 2 — and this week, the singer revealed the album’s sexy cover and the track listing for the 12-song project.
“This album is my interpretation of how I feel about country right now,” Niemann says about the new music, that includes a wide array of musical instruments backing him such as horns, fiddles and steel guitars. “We’ve done our best to try and make room for everyone.”
In addition to his co-producing the project, Niemann also took part in writing every song on the album. He penned three of the tracks without the help of any co-writers.
Niemann had a particular vision in mind while creating the songs and music for his new album: to mix the old with the new. “The pedal steel guitar has come to define country music, but there were years and years of country being made before that instrument was even invented,” he explains. “Horns have been in country going back to the 1920s, and fiddles and other string instruments date back even further. I took all those things and put them on ‘Free the Music.’
“I made this record in an effort to try and mix 1927 with 2027, but I didn’t want to disregard 100 years of what people have already done musically,” Niemann continues. “Instead, I wanted to take that and do it in a way that is also representative of the future.”
Fans have already gotten their first taste of what’s to come with Niemann’s current hit on the rise, ‘Shinin’ on Me.’ The tune is the first release from ‘Feel the Music,’ which will officially hit stores on Tuesday, Oct. 2. The album is available for pre-order now on Amazon.com.
Jerrod Niemann’s ‘Free the Music’ Track Listing:
1. ‘Free the Music’ (Jerrod Niemann)
2. ‘Whiskey Kind of Way’ (Jerrod Niemann, Randy Boudreaux)
3. ‘Get On Up’ (Jerrod Niemann, J.R. McCoy, Jesse Clingan)
4. ‘I’ll Have to Kill the Pain’ (Jerrod Niemann, J.R. McCoy, Arlos Smith)
5. ‘Only God Can Love You More’ (Jerrod Niemann, Jon Stone, Lee Brice)
6. ‘Shinin’ on Me’ (Jerrod Niemann, Rob Hatch, Lee Brice, Lance Miller)
7. ‘Honky Tonk Fever’ (Jerrod Niemann)
8. ‘Guessing Games’ (Jerrod Niemann, J.R. McCoy)
9. ‘It Won’t Matter Anymore’ (Jerrod Niemann, Rob Hatch, Lance Miller)
10. ‘I’m All About You’ [featuring Colbie Caillat] (Jerrod Niemann, Richie Brown)
11. ‘Real Women Drink Beer’ (Jerrod Niemann, Houston Phillips)
12. ‘Fraction of a Man’ (Jerrod Niemann)

McCoy, Brice top NIC Friday concerts

Tickets are available on line at www.nightinthecountry.org222 or from all Northern Nevada Scolari’s locations, Renner Equipment stores in Yerington, Smith Valley and Fallon, and also at Famous Dave’s.

The team of Neal McCoy–the perfect example of the experienced show-stopping performer–and Lee Bryce–the up-and-coming and popular young country music artist–will entertain 2012 Night in the Country Music festival fans on Friday, July 26 at the Lyon Country Fairgrounds in Yerington.
Continuing its tradition of top-notch entertainers, the Night in the Country brings both artists to the outdoor stage and adds opener Brett Elderedge to the team, as well as the comedic duo of Williams and Ree.
The fun continues on Saturday night (July 27) with the country music artists Joe Nichols, Lonestar and Curtis & Luckey as well as the comedic talents once again of Williams and Ree.
Tickets are selling briskly as the concerts draw near. A one-night pass costs $55 and a two-night pass runs $75. 2

Neal McCoy - 21 years of experience

Just a few years back country music star Neal McCoy drove his own bus into the arena at the Lyon County Fairgrounds and put on a show few, if any, will forget as he rocked a large group of fans with his fun-filled show.
No doubt about, in the 21 years since he released his first single, Neal McCoy –the one-of-a-king country singer and consummate live performer, has enjoyed every minute of his long, successful career. Even with 11 albums, over 25 charted singles and countless thousands of touring miles already under his big belt buckle, the Longview, Texas based artist has no intention of slowing down.
Whether he is delivering a stirring version of “America the Beautiful” in front of 65,000 standing, cheering fans in Texas Stadium or coming out of nowhere with a Top 10 comeback single, legions of die-hard fans have come to know that they can always expected the unexpected from Neal McCoy

Lee Brice With Fatherhood

Lee Brice Learns Something New Every Day With Fatherhood

With Father’s Day arriving this weekend (Sunday, June 17), we are all gearing up to honor our own fathers. But when it comes to Lee Brice‘s life, he sometimes forgets that he is to be honored that day as well, since he is a proud papa to his 3 1/2 year old son, Takoda.
“It’s the most amazing thing I’ve ever experienced,” Brice tells Taste of Country about fatherhood. “It’s still weird to see Father’s Day coming around, because I don’t even think about myself. I don’t know how long it’s going to be before I actually feel that, because it’s always been my daddy and that’s what Father’s Day is all about. It’s kind of strange to feel that and to be a father.”
Brice says even after all these years of being a father, he still is learning each and every day from Takoda and the blessing he brings to his life. “Takoda is amazing,” Brice beams. “I learn something every day from him and from the experience of being a father. There’s nothing like it in this whole world. Until you experience it for yourself, there’s really no way to describe it, I don’t think.”
Fans who have picked up Brice’s sophomore album, ‘Hard 2 Love,’ can hear a special phone call shared between the singer and his son toward the album’s end. The tune ‘One More Day’ was inspired by the time spent away from his son and fiancee.