Singer Forced to Cancel Tonight’s Performance at LP Field for CMA Music Festival

After accidentally cutting his left hand with a kitchen knife while at home Thursday night, singer/songwriter Chris Young underwent surgery in Nashville yesterday to repair injured tendons.

As a result of the injury and surgery, the 28-year old is unable to perform as planned at LP Field tonight to play for tens of thousands of fans at CMA Music Festival in Nashville.

He is expected to fully heal and will return to playing guitar following his recovery and rehabilitation.

The Week Las Vegas Goes Country Keeps Growing

EVENT: Join us during The Week Vegas Goes Country® for the 2^nd annual ACM PARTY FOR A CAUSE FESTIVAL being held April 4^th and 5^th in Las Vegas at The LINQ, Caesars Entertainment’s new open-air retail, dining and entertainment district at the heart of the famous Las Vegas Strip. The two-day, ticketed outdoor music festival will feature multiple stages for ongoing LIVE country music performances, interactive games, a country marketplace, and more.

Headliners Rascal Flatts will kick off the ACM PARTY FOR A CAUSE FESTIVAL on Friday, April 4^th with Thomas Rhett, The Cadillac Three, and special guests to be announced. Keith Urban headlines Saturday, April 5^th with Joe Nichols, Jerrod Niemann, Chris Young, and more yet to be announced including the ACM New Artist of the Year nominees! 

A portion of proceeds from all tickets sales from the ACM PARTY FOR A CAUSE FESTIVAL will benefit worthy charities selected by the performers and our partners. You’ll be helping to raise awareness and funds while watching your favorite stars perform! This is truly the “feel good party of the year!”

To purchase tickets, please visit www.ticketmaster.com and search keywords “Academy of Country Music” or “ACM.”

General Admission two-day ticket packages are available for $65 each. The ticket gives you access to the festival grounds and performances on both Friday and Saturday from Noon until 12:00 a.m.

Chris Young, Released From Hospital, Ready To Hit The Road

The singer-songwriter returned home to Nashville this past weekend after being admitted last week to Presbyterian/St. Luke’s Medical Center in Denver for a dangerous bacterial infection as a result of a small cut on his leg. Chris was en route to a tour date in Montana on Tuesday, August 13th when he began to go into septic shock and was taken by ambulance to the Denver, Colorado hospital. The medical team, consisting of Dr. Anthony Canfield, Dr. Wendy Gill, and Dr. Janet Suarez, responded quickly and immediately started Young on medications to stop the infection from spreading. In addition, an emergency surgery was scheduled for shortly after midnight on August 14th where they removed the infection from Chris’s leg.

Chris is now home under his physician's care and expected to make a full recovery. As expected, his mobility is currently impacted by the surgery and his doctor has advised he wait a full week post-surgery to resume touring, and will return to the road starting with Brad Paisley’s “Beat This Summer Tour Presented By Cracker Barrel Old Country Store” on Thursday, August 22 in Mountain View, CA. His show in Redding, CA will be rescheduled to September 8.

 “I want to thank all of my fans for their thoughts and prayers,” said Chris. “I received amazing care from Dr. Suarez, Dr. Gill and Dr. Canfield and all the I.C.U. nurses who literally saved my life,” he continued. “I’m happy to be home and can’t wait to get back out on the road.”

Chris continues to share progress updates with his fans on Twitter @ChrisYoungMusic. His new single, “Aw Naw” is quickly climbing the country singles charts and is the first single from his forthcoming album, A.M. which will be released Sept. 17 on RCA Records Nashville.

Chris Young Suffers Leg Infection, Cancels Show

The singer-songwriter is in a Denver area hospital with a leg infection.  He is listed in stable condition. Tonight’s headlining show in Kalispell, MT has been cancelled as well as his performances on Brad Paisley’s “Beat This Summer Tour Presented By Cracker Barrel Old Country Store” on Aug. 15 in Penticton, BC, Aug. 16 in Mission, BC and Aug. 17 in Brownsville, OR. He is expected to resume touring in Redding, CA on Aug. 21.

While the origin of the infection is unknown, Chris will remain in the hospital for at least the next 24 hours. Chris was en route to Kalispell, MT when the symptoms set in and he was taken by ambulance to the hospital.

“I’m so sorry to disappoint the fans but I didn’t even know I was sick,” said Chris. “One minute I was fine then suddenly I’m being rushed to the hospital,” he continued. “I look forward to being up and around and back on the road."

Chris Young To Sing National Anthem At Talladega

Two well-known national personalities - country music superstar Chris Young and noted news journalist and recording artist Robin Meade – have been selected to sing the National Anthems during Aaron’s Dream Weekend (May 3-5) at Talladega Superspeedway.

Young will give his rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner” prior to the Saturday, May 4, Aaron’s 312 NASCAR Nationwide Series race, which is scheduled for a 2 pm (CST) start on ESPN. Meade will provide the fans her version on Sunday, May 5, moments before the start of Aaron’s 499 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race, set for a noon (CST) green flag. In addition, Young will deliver Talladega fans an added bonus with a free Saturday night Infield Concert, held near the historic Talladega Boulevard.

“We have two individuals who, with their interpretation of our National Anthem, will give an outstanding performance for our fans,” said Talladega Superspeedway Chairman Grant Lynch. “We’re excited to have Chris sing prior to the start of the Aaron’s 312, and can’t wait for his concert on Saturday night. Robin is not only the ultimate professional delivering the news to us nationally, but is a recording artist with a remarkable singing voice.”

Young is a Grammy nominated vocalist with five number one singles to his credit, including chart-toppers “Voices,” “Tomorrow” and “You.” His career highlights include recent TV appearances on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, The Talk, Katie, ABC’s Nashville and the ACM Awards.  With his rich, warm baritone and penchant for writing relatable, slice-of-life songs, Young, as described by Entertainment Weekly, clearly “has a long, lucrative future ahead of him.” Following the concert at Talladega, he joins the “Beat This Summer Tour” with Brad Paisley, which goes through the fall.

Meade, the longtime host of HLN’s “Morning Express with Robin Meade” releases her sophomore country album in June to iTunes and Target stores. Her debut album “Brand New Day”, won strong reviews in 2011. It featured songs Meade had written, as well as a stunning cover of Don Henley’s “Dirty Laundry”. In addition to her award-winning tv and music careers, Meade’s book “Morning Sunshine! How to Radiate Confidence and Feel It, Too” instantly became a New York Times Bestseller when it was released in 2009.

Friday’s National Anthem prior to the International Motorsports Hall of Fame 250 ARCA Series race will be performed by Amy Knight of Gardendale, AL. She is a member of the acappella oldies group Back In Time.

The most competitive racing in NASCAR combined with a mix of southern hospitality returns to Talladega Superspeedway May 3-5 for the Aaron’s Dream Weekend. Experience the excitement as the superstars of NASCAR attempt to tackle the high-banks of ‘DEGA at 200 mph. Secure your tickets at www.talladegasuperspeedway.com or by calling 877-Go2-DEGA. This is more than a race…This is Talladega!

For more information regarding Chris Young, contact:
Cindy Heath                                                         
Monarch Publicity                                           
615-429-2203                                                    

Wes Vause
Sony Music Nashville
615-301-4373

PHOTO CREDIT: James Minchin

The Band Perry Are Ready To Rock "Down Under"

The Band Perry will be in Australia this Friday for CMC Rocks the Hunter, Australia’s biggest international country and roots festival. 

They’re all excited because Reid says, “This will be the first time that we head to Australia,” but Kimberly admits there is one thing she is not excited about. “I’m a little bit nervous about the spiders, though. I hear they’ve got those Huntsman Spiders that are as big as my hand, which I’m a little terrified over.” 

Neil is looking forward to trying out his Australian accent when he orders some shrimp on the barbie, although we’ve heard it, and he might want to use the long flight over to practice a little. 

The three-day outdoor festival will be a great place for The Band Perry to introduce Australian fans to some of their new music, including their most recent #1, “Better Dig Two,” and their current single, “DONE.”

Jason Aldean Surprises Charlie Daniels At Benefit Concert

Daniels was surprised while hosting a special free concert last night to support Lipscomb University’s Yellow Ribbon Enhancement Program as part of the Charlie Daniels’ Scholarship for Heroes event.  Fellow patriots and country stars, the multi-platinum, multi-award winning chart-topper Jason Aldean and the GRAMMY® award-winning Lee Greenwood walked unannounced onto the stage to offer their support for our military.  

The concert also featured return performances by Chris Young and The Grascals, as well as Keni Thomas, Bleach and Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist Sparky Matejka, and included a presentation with Mary Byers, President of Gold Star Mothers, Inc., an organization of mothers who have lost sons or daughters while in service of their country.

“The motto for the USO is ‘until they all come home.’ Last night's event at Lipscomb addressed the fact that many did not come home,” explained Greenwood.  “I'm proud to have been a part of this event and congratulate my friend Charlie Daniels for being a leader in our Nashville community.”

Daniels, a staunch supporter of the military, was pleased with the event and the support by the community.  Corporate sponsors and donors included iostudio, Humana, Waltrip Brothers’ Charity Championship, Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Twice Daily, Bridgestone, Chase, Operation Homefront, Clear Channel, Dollywood, Shofner Vision Center, Trauger & Tuke, Glover Group Entertainment, SunTrust and DSI.

“We have so many heroes whose needs fly below our radar,” said Daniels. “This shouldn’t be happening and this event is helping to make sure it doesn’t.”

For more information on Lipscomb University’s Yellow Ribbon Enhancement Program, call 615-966-5176 or visit lipscomb.edu/campuslife/veterans.

ABOUT THE FEDERAL YELLOW RIBBON PROGRAM:
In 2009, the Post-9/11 GI Bill was established as an education benefit program for individuals who served on active duty after Sept. 11, 2001. It is administered by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Based on a veteran’s length of service, he or she may be eligible to receive the cost of tuition and fees, not to exceed the most expensive in-state institution of higher education.

 

Media Contacts:
For Jason Aldean
The Green Room PR
Mary Hilliard Harrington / 615-242-7444

 
For The Charlie Daniels Band
Paula Szeigis / 615-443-2112 x123 

 
For Chris Young
Monarch Publicity
Cindy Heath / 615-429-2203

For Lee Greenwood
Webster & Associates Public Relations & Marketing/ 615-777-6995 x227
 
For Lipscomb University
Kim Chaudoin / 615-966-6494

"Grammy Nominations Live" From Nashvile

Last night's Grammy Nominations Concert Live broadcast from Nashville featured country performers, Little Big Town, and Chris Young, as presenters…plus…performances by Luke Bryan, Hunter Hayes, a terrific tribute to Johnny Cash by The Band Perry and Dierks Bentley singing "Jackson."  Also, 6-time grammy winner, Taylor Swift, co-Hosted the show with LL Cool J.

In the opening Taylor welcomed LL Cool J. to town, offering to be his tour guide of music city.  Taylor then tried her best rapping ability and LL sang a bit of Taylor's "Mean."
Hunter Hayes lead off the singing announcements of nominees singing the list of nominees that included Kelly Clarkson and Maroon 5.

The show, broadcast from Nashville's Bridgestone Arena, was broadcast on HDTV and CBS TV..

Launching in conjunction with last night's  "The GRAMMY Nominations Concert Live…Countdown To Music's Biggest Night, airing Dec. 5 on CBS, music fans can log on to GRAMMY.com or CBS.com to pre-order the album and enter to win a trip for two to the 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards. Music's Biggest Night will be held on Sunday Feb. 10, 2013 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles.

 - NEIL HAISLOP's NASHVILLE IQ ©

AssClown?

Chris Young (click to watch it)  obviously calls 'em as he sees 'em, as his electioneering for CMA Male Vocalist of 2012 (click for fill awards info) demonstrates, on video and in color.

Country Music On TV

Faith Hill performed "Come Home" and Taylor Swift claimed the country award on last night's People's Choice Awards.

American Idol judge Randy Jackson believes Scotty McCreery has ended the perception that Idol winners don't have as great a career as the runner-ups. Jackson believes that each winner and singer is different, and it's all about making amazing and competitive songs. The new season of American Idol starts January 18th on Fox.

Chris Young will be making his debut appearance on the Ellen DeGeneres Show to sing his latest hit, “You”! Be sure to catch the episode when it airs on January 17th!

Reba McEntire and Blake Shelton pair-up again as hosts of this years Academy of Country Music Awards. The 47th annual show will be held Sunday, April 1, at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. The ACM’s Fan Jam also will return for a second year. This time Zac Brown Band will host the parallel event at the Mandalay Events Center.

You and Young Video

Chris Young went back to '50s for his new video for, "You." 

The black and white clip finds Chris playing an attendant at a full-service gas station, where several female customers are vying for his attention. Strategically-placed bits of color make the video really pop. 

You can buy Chris's new video now at iTunes. "You" is the second single from Chris's third album, Neon.

Owen and Young Charity Work for Kids

Jake Owen has headlined five consecutive years of the annual benefit, Mardy’s Tennis & Jake’s Music Fest.
Chris Young & Jake Owen will perform for the December 10, 2011 benefit at the 6500-seat Holman Stadium in Vero Beach.

The Mardy Fish Foundation mission is to provide children access to after school exercise, nutritional and enrichment programs in a safe environment to prepare them for healthy, productive and successful lives so they can achieve their dreams.
 

For more information, visit www.jakeowen.net/charity .

The Day Job Before They Were Famous

A new GAC reality series called “Day Jobs” began airing October 2^nd will take various country stars back to the jobs they had before they hit it big.

“It’s really a celebration of the folks who do those jobs every day,” said the show’s executive producer Sarah Brock.

Here’s a rundown of the stars featured on the show, along with the job they’ll be doing:

Trace Adkins – roughneck/offshore oil rig

Chris Young – AC unit installation

Craig Morgan – Army soldier

Little Big Town’s Kimberly Schlapman – waitress

Rodney Atkins – landscaper

Eddie Montgomery – butcher

David Nail – Dairy Queen employee

Gary Allan – construction worker

Troy Gentry – bartender

Danny Gokey – truck driver

Clay Walker – cattle rancher

Young On Late Late Show Tonight

After the U.S. Open competition was extended last week the network moved Chris Young‘s appearance on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson to tonight, September 26. 

Chris will perform his soulful new single “You” on the show, which airs Weeknights at 12:35am/11:35pm Central on CBS. 

This marks his fourth national TV appearance since the release of his new album, NEON, earlier this summer.

Young Grabbed For The Gold

He's gold again.  Chris Young's second CD, "The Man I Want To Be", has been certified Gold by the RIAA with more than 500,000 pieces sold.  It took a little less than eleven months for the CD to hit the magic selling number.  The CD contains three number one songs including Voices, The Man I Want To Be, and Gettin' You Home. 

Chris' current CD, "Neon" was released a couple of weeks ago and hit number four on the Billboard top 200 with sales of more than 72,000 units.  "Neon" includes his most recent number one song, "Tomorrow."  The song was also certified Gold by the RIAA and is approaching 650,000 downloads, making it Chris' best selling digital track ever.

Young will release his next single, You, to hit country radio in mid-August.

Chris Young Has Gone Neon

Chris Young celebrated the release of NEON with his first appearance on ABC-TV’s Good Morning America on July 12.  Chris performed his GOLD single “Tomorrow.” 

‘Tomorrow’, was recently certified by the RIAA with sales surpassing 550,000 digital downloads.

Young is also planning appearances on Fox News and Better TV. 

Young headed south to join Jason Aldean’s sold-out My Kinda Party tour with stops in Orange Beach, Alabama, Tampa, and West Palm Beach with additional dates booked throughout the remainder of the year.

Chris has scheduled a performance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! July 27. He’ll perform two songs from the new CD, NEON on the show

Source: Sony Music PR/CMTT

Young Goes Neon

Chris Young‘s new album Neon will be released on July 12.  The album’s debut track “Tomorrow” is looking to become Young’s 4th consecutive No.1 hit.

The ‘Tomorrow’ music video recently topped CMT’s Top 20 Countdown. 

“Makin’ the video was really, really cool,” Young says. “I was surprised by just how much of a day went into it. That was one of the things that I hadn’t really prepared for. Anytime we’ve done a video, there’s always shots that I’m not in. But I’m in basically every shot of that video, so we were there all day. It was like, almost 24 hours that we were there shootin’ this thing. But we got it, and it’s honestly…it’s the first number-one video I’ve ever had, so that was exciting to celebrate that, and it’s just one of those things that I’ve had a lot of people comment on how much they like it.”

How Do You Say Cicadas? How About Bait?

Chris Young loves the outdoors but has grown tired of this year’s constant buzz from the omnipresent, 13-year cicadas.

“I hate ‘em,” says Young. “But as much as I hate ‘em, they’re great to fish with. You can catch all kinds of fish with those things.”

Also, they tend to stop buzzing once you stick them on a hook and cast them into a lake.

Lady Antebellum Picks Future Stars

Lady Antebellum is enjoying the latest music being released out of Nashville. "That new Blake Shelton song ('Honey Bee') is a monster. I love it. It's such a good song," says Lady A's Charles Kelley. "There is so much good new stuff. I think Easton Corbin keeps putting out great music. I'm excited about hearing some of his new stuff."

"We listen to a lot of country radio," notes Dave Haywood, "and we are always interested to hear when new people like Steel Magnolia or Thompson Square come out, and we're like, 'Wow, that's really cool.' We know Chris Young and couple of these other guys that are just killing it with No. 1s. Luke Bryan ... over and over. We're obviously big fans of all of these guys."

Lady Antebellum anticipate that Luke Bryan is getting ready to explode. "Luke is going to be, and I'm not just saying this because we are such good friends, but I feel like Luke is poised to be the next big male artist," says Charles. "He is right there, he and obviously Blake, too."

Hillary, has some thoughts on the next it group. “A brand-new band that just got signed, and I've just become friends with them because they played a couple of shows with us, [called] Eden's Edge. They are just three really sweet people, and really, really talented. It's much more of a grass-roots, kind of bluegrass-based vibe, which I think is a breath of fresh air. I just wish them well, I love them."

Chris Young Can't Wait For Tomorrow

Chris Young had a hand in writing two of his three number-one hits, "Voices" and "Gettin' You Home." That success encouraged him as a songwriter, but he says, "I don't think anybody ever just constantly goes, 'I can write number ones all day long,' 'cause you can't. Nobody can."


Chris is pretty confident about his latest co-written single, "Tomorrow," knowing fans liked his previous project. "It definitely gives you a little boost as a songwriter, makes you feel good," Chris says of writing number-one hits. "It also makes you wanna go work harder."


"Tomorrow" is the lead single from Chris's new album, Neon, due out this summer.