22 June 2015

Having debuted at #6 in the Official Country Charts with their debut album Here We Go Again (private stream), 1/5 Texan and 4/5 British country rockers Jess and the Bandits are currently gearing up for their debut UK headline tour this October, which follows on from their sold out London shows earlier this year. Having received critical acclaim for Here We Go Again alongside support from BBC Radio 2 for the album’s lead singles, ‘Single Tonight’ and ‘You Can’t Stop Me’, the band are thrilled to announce that the new music video for their single ‘Nitty Gritty’ will be filmed in association with High Street plus size fashion retailer Evans. To celebrate the video collaboration Jessica has launched a social media, body confidence competition to find 10 stars to feature in her video. Revealing her own body confidence mantra as ‘We’re all incredible, be you and focus on that’, Jessica wants entrants to share their own personal body confidence mantra by writing it on a piece of paper, taking a snap of themselves with it and sharing at evans.co.uk/stylemantra OR using the hashtag #EvansStyleMantra @evansclothing @JessTheBandits on Twitter or Instagram. As the ambassador for their #STYLEHASNOSIZE campaign, Jessica advises, ‘love the skin you’re in at each size. Let us support each other as women!’ With the band about the hit the festivals around the UK for the summer, Jessica admits there is nothing she loves more than summer fashions. Her personal style tip, ‘The thing I love best about summer is putting on a cute floral dress and rocking my curves. I feel great in my own skin. Let’s have some fun!’

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (June 17, 2015) – Another week, another reason to celebrate for breakout Country rockers A Thousand Horses. And it seems like it’s been a non-stop celebration for months now. Just seven days after their debut album SOUTHERNALITY was released, their first single “Smoke” has officially been RIAA-certified GOLD. SOUTHERNALITY also debuts at No. 3 this week on the Billboard Country Albums chart. The Dave Cobb-produced album is available now at iTunes and all other major retailers. Michael Hobby, Bill Satcher, Graham DeLoach and Zach Brown also learned this week they will be making their late-night television debut when they play ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live on June 24 where they will perform their next single, “(This Ain’t No) Drunk Dial.” Watch the new video for the song here. Fans have been rallying around A Thousand Horses since the release of first single “Smoke,” which set a record for highest debut on the Mediabase Country songs chart and reached No. 1 the first week of June, making A Thousand Horses the first Country band of more than three members to reach No. 1 with its debut single since December 2008. It’s been a scorching run for a band Rolling Stone, USA Today and other tastemakers have hailed as ones to watch in 2015. Early listeners have embraced A Thousand Horses and SOUTHERNALITY – a mix of the words Southern and personality – for a number of reasons, including its Southern rock vibe and undeniable energy. The band celebrated release week with a number of impactful performances at the CMT Awards (followed by a standing room only after-party at the Tin Roof honky-tonk in downtown Nashville), the CMA Music Festival and the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival. A Thousand Horses is a sight to behold live, as millions of viewers found out when the group made its television debut on TODAY and FOX & Friends recently. Check out A Thousand Horses’ live show on Darius Rucker’s Southern Style Tour all summer. For more information about the band or to purchase tickets, visit www.AThousandHorses.com and follow @athousandhorses on Twitter and Instagram.

Randy Howard, 65, was mortally wounded in the shootout at his home according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI). Howard was a member of the ‘Outlaw’ country movement that rejected Nashville’s polished music in favour of a more raw sound. He had shared the stage with the likes of Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings and Hank Williams Jr and has written songs for Hank Williams III. This was Howard’s fourth offence of driving under the influence, possession of drug paraphernalia, and possession of a firearm while intoxicated and driving on a revoked licence, said TBI spokesman Josh DeVine. Howard refused to attend his court date and reportedly told a friend that ‘he wasn’t going back to jail’ On Tuesday night, bounty hunter Jackie Shell arrived at his home to take him into custody and Howard opened fire. When Mr Shell fired back, Howard was killed. Mr Shell is believed to have been injured during the fight and has undergone surgery. Howard made seven records, including All American Redneck in 1983 and the self-titled Randy Howard in 1988.

Country singer Jim Ed Brown’s funeral took place at the Ryman Auditorium on Monday. He was remembered by his friends and fellow musicians as a friendly, kind and helpful man. Brown died on Thursday after being diagnosed with lung cancer last year. The service for Brown featured several musical performances. The Oak Ridge Boys sang an a cappella rendition of Life’s Railway to Heaven, while Crystal Gayle performed her hit When I Dream, recalling that Brown enjoyed performing the song during some of his concerts. During his performance of Amazing Grace, Craig Morgan turned his back to the audience so he could wipe away tears. Lady Antebellum sang Never Alone, and the group’s Hillary Scott also sang Sweet Beulah Land with her parents, Lang Scott and Linda Davis. On a stage set with flowers, photos and a red stage jacket with black embroidery that was often worn by Brown, fellow Opry member Jeannie Seely read remembrances from Brown’s daughter, Kim. Brenda Lee, who hosted the press conference in March announcing the election of Brown and his sisters, Bonnie and Maxine, to the Country Music Hall of Fame, called him “a tall and elegantly soft-spoken Southern gentleman.” Lee toured with the Browns early in her career and called them her “road family” who watched “over me like a big sister.” Brown’s recording career spanned more than 55 years and included such hits as 1959’s The Three Bells and 1967’s solo smash Pop a Top. In January, Brown released IN STYLE AGAIN, his first album for 35 years.

NASHVILLE – Backstage during CMA Music Festival’s closing night, Keith Urban and CMA Chief Executive Officer Sarah Trahern presented Brad Paisley with the CMA International Artist Achievement Award. “Brad is such a tremendous ambassador for Country Music around the world,” said Trahern. “His undeniable talent, wit, and charm transcend borders and speak to the heart of the format – in any language.” “I think Country Music works as one of the best ambassador type things you can do in an art form. When you send art forms of music overseas, it’s obviously something people flip out over and love, but I don’t know if it reflects real life like our format does. Any time you see people in Sweden loving Country songs and what they say and buying into what we are as artists, they’re seeing the real America I think. In that sense we have an obligation as a format to try and get this everywhere we can so they don’t think we all wear spandex,” Paisley added with a chuckle. Formerly the International Touring Artist Award, the CMA International Artist Achievement Award recognizes outstanding achievement by a U.S.-based artist who contributes to the awareness and development of Country Music outside the United States. Since being the recipient of this award in 2011, Paisley has remained dedicated to including the international marketplace in his schedule. In 2014, he headlined the C2C Festival in London and Dublin, as well as recorded the special “Brad Paisley & Friends” for BBC Radio 2 before going on to headline shows in Norway and Sweden. Through international honors and events including CMA World GlobaLive! and the expansion of the CMA Songwriters Series in Canada, Dublin, London, and Paris, CMA seeks to recognize and empower its international membership and Country Music fans globally.

NASHVILLE – CMA and the CMA Foundation unveiled its new “Music Education Matters” campaign today during CMA Music Festival and announced that superstar Keith Urban will be the first national ambassador for the program, which provides musical instruments and teaching support to programs serving inner-city youth. “Music is not only powerful, it’s magical,” said Urban. “It has the ability to bring people together, to inspire, calm, enhance creativity and intelligence, and to improve concentration. There is nothing like seeing the genesis of the relationship between an instrument and a child or young adult. I’m so honored and proud that the CMA Foundation has given us this opportunity to be a part of something that can have such a positive effect on so many young lives.” Getting instruments into the hands of children is not just something that Urban has championed through the years, but is something he’s supporting with a personal donation. He is contributing 60 Keith Urban guitars complete with amplifiers, strings, and picks to five Music Education Matters partner programs across the country including programs in Atlanta, Los Angeles, Nashville, New York City, and San Francisco. “Several of these programs have instruments that were provided by the Foundation, but thanks to Keith’s generosity some of our most ambitious and talented students will have a guitar to take home for practice and improving their skills,” said Ron Samuels, Chairman of the CMA Foundation Board of Directors. “This donation is life changing and central to our message that Music Education Matters.” “I am extremely grateful for Keith’s generosity and his commitment to advancing music education,” said Sarah Trahern, CMA Chief Executive Officer. “I have witnessed the difference an instrument makes in the development of a child. Just imagine if someone hadn’t put a guitar in Keith Urban’s hands.” Young performers from Metro Nashville Public Schools – one of the recipient programs – participated in the announcement at the AT&T U-verse® Fan Fair X in the Music City Center. Students from JFK Middle School and Antioch High School surprised Urban with a rendition of his hit, “Days Go By” and four, high school guitar students from Nashville School of the Arts joined Urban and his band for a performance of Urban’s new single “John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16.” “I have witnessed first-hand the effect a musical instrument can make in the life of a student,” said Linda Friend, a Metro Music Specialist at John F. Kennedy Middle School. “Rex Yape, a 2014 graduate of Antioch High School, was first provided with recorders through CMA while just a young performer in the Antioch-based ‘Renaissance Kids.’ During his sophomore year, while auditioning on recorder for membership into the Tri-M Music Honor Society, one of the judges suggested that Rex might make a fine oboe player. On Monday morning of the next week a brand new CMA oboe was presented to Rex. Rex used that oboe to audition for All-State and to play as a member of the Curb Youth Symphony. Rex has just completed his first year at the Curtis Institute of Music, undeniably one of the top music institutions in the world, and is looking forward to a career as a professional musician, something that would not have been possible without the generosity of CMA.” The guitars will be distributed to five separate in-school and after-school programs including Notes for Notes, which constructs and operates recording studios in Boys and Girls Clubs nationwide. The CMA Foundation has funded studios in Atlanta, Austin, Brooklyn, Detroit, Nashville, and San Francisco, with plans to expand into other markets in 2016. “Everyday youth in our studios are getting their hands on instruments but thanks to Keith we will be able to gift these guitars to our most dedicated players to take home and shred into their musical dreams,” said Phil Gilley, CEO/ Co-Founder Notes for Notes. CMA Foundation partner programs that will be receiving guitars include: Education Through Music: Education Through Music (ETM) partners with inner-city schools to provide all students with music as a core subject, and to create school communities that value the arts. In the 2014/2015 school year, ETM served 20,000 students and 40 teachers in 37 inner-city schools in New York City, and their model reaches another 8,000 children through the work of their licensed affiliate organization in Los Angeles. Harmony Project: Harmony Project is a tuition free, after-school and weekend music program in Los Angeles that targets 2,000 at-risk students ages 6-18. Combining rigorous music instruction and enrichment activities, mentoring, family support services, and college scholarships, the program guides vulnerable youth through life’s challenges while building critical life skills that will serve them into adulthood. Little Kids Rock (LKR): Little Kids Rock is a national nonprofit that provides an innovative music education program called Modern Band to more than 195,000 students in 29 cities. LKR leverages the shared cultural capital of students (and their teachers) by connecting learning to the music styles that kids already know and love including rock, pop, hip hop, and Country. LKR provides instruments, curriculum, teacher training, and ongoing support. Metro Nashville Public Schools: Since 2006, CMA and the CMA Foundation have donated more than $9 million to support an unprecedented effort to strengthen and improve music education in Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools. Through this unique partnership with Metro Schools and the Nashville Public Education Foundation, CMA has provided thousands of instruments, enabling the city to accelerate access to quality music education for all students. Notes for Notes: Notes for Notes funds the construction of music studios in Boys and Girls Clubs and other facilities across the U.S. The CMA Foundation made an initial donation to the Nashville Notes for Notes chapter and committed additional funds to expand the program in several markets including Atlanta, Austin, Brooklyn, Detroit, and San Francisco. The CMA Foundation receives the bulk of the funding to support these and other programs from CMA Music Festival. To date, CMA and the CMA Foundation have donated more than $11 million to this