Keepin' it Country Media & Radio » Lee Brice

Brad Paisley returning to Ottawa in October

Lydia Picknell — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 12:42:13 +0000

For the first time since the ill-fated Capital Hoedown, country superstar Brad Paisley will be returning to Ottawa for a headlining date. His “Beat This Summer” tour will take over Scotiabank Place on October 18th with special guests Chris Young and Lee Brice. Tickets range from $30 to $80 before taxes and fees and will go on-sale this Friday, June 7th, at 10 am EST through capitaltickets.ca, or by calling (613) 599-FANS (3267) or by visiting a Capital Tickets outlet in person.

What’s cool and different about Brad’s tour this year is that he’s getting fans to participate in a special light show by downloading a light app to their smartphones. The app is available at lights.bradpaisley.com, and all you have to do is open the app when Brad hits the stage. Pretty cool!

Will you be going to Brad’s return to Ottawa? Have you seen him on tour yet this year?

Country songs for Memorial Day

Lydia Picknell — Sun, 26 May 2013 15:41:35 +0000

Country artists may just be the most patriotic out of any genre of music. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that if we were to put together a list of every country song that pays tribute to the military, that we’d have a never ending playlist. With tomorrow being Memorial Day in the United States, we wanted to put together a list of country songs that can help fans remember what this holiday is all about. From artists that perform for USO troops serving overseas, to artists who have hit singles with a remembrance theme, we put together our list for a 2013 memorial day playlist. Our picks aren’t in order.

Check out our picks below and let us know what songs you’ll be listening to for the rest of the weekend.

AMERICAN SOLDIER – TOBY KEITH

Originally released in November 2003 as a single from his album “Shock’n Y’all.” The song was a co-write by Toby with Chuck Cannon and became a number one hit on the Billboard U.S. Hot Country Songs Chart for four weeks. It was inspired by the times Toby had met USO troops serving overseas, and he wanted to find a way to show his support for them and their families. The video was directed by Michael Salomon and filmed at an actual US Air Force Base in Edwards, California with off-duty soldiers, reservists and their families.

ARLINGTON – TRACE ADKINS

This 2005 single by Trace Adkins is one of the ultimate country songs that pay respect to the sacrifices of the American military. Released from his “Songs About Me” album, it was a co-write by Jeremy Spillman and Dave Turnbull, and was produced by Scott Hendricks. The song follows the story of a soldier that was killed in battle and is to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery, and was inspired by the real story of Marine Corps Corporal Patrick Nixon who died in 2003. After writer Dave Turnbull met Patrick’s father, he then felt the need to write the song. The single only went as high as #16 on the Billboard U.S. Hot Country Singles Chart after Trace pulled the single off air by request of military families.

8TH OF NOVEMBER – BIG & RICH

Big & Rich released a moving single, and music video, about a friend’s story who served in the Vietnam War in the 173rd Airborne Brigade who was ambushed by over 1,200 Vietcong soldiers on November 8th, 1965. The single was originally released in 2006 as the final single from their 2005 album “Coming To Your City.” Both Kenny Alphin and John Rich wrote the song together. The music video, directed by Deaton-Flanigen, features country icon Kris Kristofferson introducing the story and has Big & Rich sitting on wooden stools while video of the battle and the story of their friend playing behind and around them. The single was the duo’s seventh top 40 hit on the Billboard U.S. Hot Country Singles Chart, hitting as high as #18. It also charted on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart at #94.

IF YOU’RE READING THIS – TIM MCGRAW

Maybe one of the most emotional remembrance songs, Tim McGraw still has one of the best country award show moments when he performed and debuted this single live at the Academy of Country Music Awards in 2007. In his performance, the spotlight stays on him sitting on a wooden stool in all black, then its revealed at the end that he is surrounded by Military families of fallen soldiers. His live version had become so popular that radio stations in the United States had played the award show version almost immediately after airing. The single was later remixed with a studio version, which bumped his “I Need You” duet with his wife, Faith Hill, off of airplay. The single reached #3 on the Billboard U.S. Hot Country Singles Chart, and was Tim’s 42nd Top Ten country single. It was co-written by Tim with Brad and Brett Warren (of The Warrens) only three weeks before the ACM Awards.

I DRIVE YOUR TRUCK – LEE BRICE

“I Drive Your Truck” is the emotional 2012 single from singer-songwriter Lee Brice. The single was a co-write by Jessi Alexander, Connie Harrington and Jimmy Yeary and was the third and final single from his “Hard 2 Love” album. The song was inspired by an interview by a father of a fallen solider on NPR Radio, who said he drove his son’s truck to cope with the loss. Connie Harrington heard the interview and wrote down that sentence, then brought it to the other two co-writers. At the time, they couldn’t remember the name of the soldier or his father, but after reporters went digging for the name, found out it was Paul Monti speaking about his son, Jared, who was killed in Afghanistan. The co-writers, and Lee, met Paul in Nashville at the ASCAP and BMI celebration of the song.

JUST A DREAM – CARRIE UNDERWOOD

“Just A Dream” was the 2008 single released from Carrie Underwood’s hit album “Carnival Ride.” The fourth single from the album was a co-write by Hillary Lindsey, Gordie Sampson, and Steve McEwan and was sent to radio on July 21st, 2008, with the music video sent out on August 5th, 2008. The song was written over a few days by the three writers in Nashville, and was originally thought of by Hillary and originally titled “American Dream.” The title was changed in order to stay away from political debate instead of the song itself. Carrie’s performance on the song earned her a 2010 Grammy Nomination for Best Female Country Vocal Performance. It hit number one on the Billboard U.S. Hot Country Singles Chart, giving her a 6th straight number one single.

TRAVELIN’ SOLDIER – DIXIE CHICKS

While the Dixie Chicks’ version may not have been the first recorded, it was the first version to chart as a single. Originally recorded by Bruce Robinson in 1996 and 1999, it was later recorded by Ty England for his 1999 album “Highways & Dance Halls” before the trio recorded and released it as a single in 2002 from their album “Home.” It became the sixth, and last, number one single for the Dixie Chicks on what was formerly known as the the Billboard Hot Country & Tracks Chart (now the Billboard U.S. Hot Country Singles Chart). It was the single that the group was promoting overseas when their career-changing statement from lead singer Natalie Maines was made at a London, England concert. It was her anti-President Bush statement that had American radio stations take the single off of their rotation. It became the final single to chart in the top 20 country charts for the group, although their 2007 “Not Ready To Make Nice” did reach #36 on the Billboard country charts and #4 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Lee Brice to light up summer with Parking Lot Party

Lydia Picknell — Tue, 07 May 2013 17:44:44 +0000

Curb Records and Lee Brice light things up with his new summer anthem, “Parking Lot Party” which will be released on May 13th, 2013 and comes on the heels of his third #1 single in a row, “I Drive Your Truck” which was recently certified Gold by the RIAA. Lee Brice’s latest album continues to impress as TEA (track equivalent album) sales for the current album, Hard 2 Love are currently in excess of 730,000 units.

Also recently announced, Zippo Encore, with the company’s first partnership in the country music market, will be releasing two custom Lee Brice designed Zippo lighters available for sale on the road this summer when Lee joins Brad Paisley‘s Beat This Summer Tour presented by Cracker Barrel Old Country Store®.

Brice was recently nominated for the Nationwide Insurance On Your Side Award for “Best New Live Act” at this year’s CMT Music Awards. This award is determined by fan votes and will be presented via a video presentation during the 2013 CMT Music Awards which will air live from Nashville on June 5, 2013.

Lee Brice Gets Third #1 in a Row

Lydia Picknell — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 02:39:39 +0000

Congratulations to Curb Records artist Lee Brice! The singer-songwriter’s moving single “I Drive Your Truck” is his third consecutive number one single on both the Billboard and Mediabase country charts. The hit song is Lee’s third consecutive single off his sophomore release HARD 2 LOVE and has resonated with fans since first hitting the airwaves.

Lee isn’t surprised by how well country fans have been able to connect to the tune. He admits that he himself found a special connection, too:

“I was immediately drawn to this song, so I’m not surprised that fans have connected to it like they have. Since we put it out as a single, fans from across the country have shared their own ‘truck’ stories through just about any way they can – calling into the radio, on tour at meet and greet, Twitter, Facebook, emails and texts. I’m just glad I got to be a part of this special song and want to thank Country Radio for helping me share it.”

He recently announced that he will be joining Brad Paisley this summer on his Beat This Summer Tour. The first leg of the tour kicks off on May 9 in St. Louis, MO and will hit over 29 cities in the US and Canada through the summer months. For a full list of tour dates, visit leebrice.com.

Are you loving Lee’s latest single? What’s the most moving country song you know?

VIDEO: Lee Brice Releases Acoustic “I Drive Your Truck”

Nicole Piering — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 23:03:13 +0000

It’s no secret that we here at Keepin’ It Country love Lee Brice. It’s also no secret that we LOVE “I Drive Your Truck.” In fact, the song makes us swoon, cry, squeal, sigh…You get the picture. It’s actually quite embarrassing to know us. However, if you thought the song couldn’t possibly get any better, you were wrong. Lee has just released an acoustic video for the song, and we’ve got one word: wow.

Listen below and let us know what you think. Hint, you’re going to think it’s amazing.

Brad Paisley to Beat This Summer with Chris Young & Lee Brice

Nicole Piering — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 22:19:24 +0000

On the heels of the release of his new single “Beat this Summer,” Brad Paisley has announced the first leg of his 2013 Beat This Summer Tour presented by Cracker Barrel Old Country Store®. The tour will hit 29 cities across the United States and Canada, starting on May 9 in St. Louis, Mo. Additionally, Brad will be joined on the road by Chris Young and Lee Brice.

“Teaming up with Brad Paisley for this tour is exciting for everyone at Cracker Barrel because he is one of the most highly-regarded modern-day entertainers, and his connection with country music fans, our brand, and our guests is such a phenomenal fit,” says Cracker Barrel Marketing Manager Julie Craig. “The tour integration itself is the largest we’ve ever launched as a brand, and we’re thrilled that the Cracker Barrel Old Country Store® exclusive music program is helping to bring this amazing tour experience to thousands of fans.”

Additionally, Brad Paisley is donating $1 from each ticket sale to Live Beyond. The nonprofit’s mission is to provide medical care, clean water, nutritional support and development activities to impoverished communities in Haiti. Go to www.livebeyond.org for more information or to donate.

The tour dates are as follows:

May 9 St. Louis, MO Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
May 10 Indianapolis, IN Klipsch Music Center
May 11 Chicago, IL First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
May 16 Holmdel, NJ PNC Bank Arts Center
May 17 Boston, MA Comcast Center
May 18 Hartford, CT Comcast Theatre
May 31 Toronto, ONT Molson Canadian Amphitheatre
June 1 Pittsburgh, PA First Niagara Pavilion
June 2 Saratoga Springs, NY Saratoga Performing Arts Center
June 6 Cincinnati, OH Riverbend Music Center
June 7 Charlotte, NC Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
June 8 Raleigh, NC Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion
June 21 West Palm Beach, FL Cruzan Amphitheatre *
June 22 Tampa, FL Live Nation Amphitheatre *
June 23 Atlanta, GA Aaron’s Amphitheatre at Lakewood *
June 28 Virginia Beach, VA Farm Bureau Live
June 29 Washington, DC Jiffy Lube Live
July 12 Darien Center, NY Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
July 13 Ft. Loramie, OH Country Concert at Hickory Hills Lake
July 20 Twin Lakes, WI Country Thunder Festival Grounds
July 27 Dallas, TX Gexa Energy Pavilion
July 28 Houston, TX Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
August 1 Denver, CO Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre
August 2 Salt Lake City, UT USANA Amphitheatre
August 16 Mission, BC Rockin’ River Festival-Mission Raceway Park*
August 17 Brownsville, OR Williamette Country Music Festival *
August 22 Mountain View, CA Shoreline Amphitheatre
August 23 Sacramento, CA Sleep Train Amphitheatre
August 24 San Bernardino, CA San Manuel Amphitheatre

*Lee Brice is not on this date.

Live Nation is the national tour promoter. For more information log on to www.livenation.com or www.bradpaisley.com for on-sale and up to date information on Beat This Summer.

ACM Awards Announces ‘Newcomer’ Nominees

Tia — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 03:08:33 +0000

The nominees for the “Newcomer” categories have been announced for the 48th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards.

Fans will have the chance to determine the winners at VoteACM.com and GACtv.com/ACM. Each winner will then go on to compete for the overall “New Artist of the Year” award.

The online voting will available to fans between Monday, January 21st and Monday, February 4th. The online voting for the “New Artist of the Year” award will take place from Monday, March 25th until Sunday, April 7th. The winner of this award will be announced during the live broadcast of the ACM Awards that will air on April 7th at 8PM EST.

The nominees are:

New Female Vocalist
Jana Kramer
Kacey Musgraves
Sunny Sweeney

New Male Vocalist
Lee Brice
Brantley Gilbert
Hunter Hayes

New Vocal Duo or Group
Florida Georgia Line
Love and Theft
Thompson Square

Lee Brice has fastest rising single of his career

Lydia Picknell — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 15:45:32 +0000

One of country music’s rising stars in Lee Brice is celebratating the fastest rising single of his career this week as “I Drive Your Truck” continues to be the most added country single over the past three weeks, barreling into Billboard’s Top 30 after only two weeks of airplay. The new single follows Brice’s No. one hit “Hard To Love,” which received PLATINUM certification today by the RIAA for one million single sales.

About the success of his emotional single, Lee shares:

“I can’t think of a better way to end the year than this. I’m floored by the support of my friends at country radio and my fans who continue to believe in me…can’t wait for 2013!”

Lee’s moving new single follows two consecutive PLATINUM certified No. one hits off his sophomore release HARD 2 LOVE on Curb Records, which was named one of The New York Time’s Top 10 Albums of 2012 alongside artists including Frank Ocean, Kesha and Taylor Swift. iTunes also handpicked the album as part of their Best of 2012 feature as the Top Breakthrough Country Album of the Year.

The former college football player will wrap 2012 as the halftime entertainment at the Sun Bowl in El Paso, TX on New Year’s Eve. For a full list of upcoming tour dates, visit leebrice.com. Are you going to see Lee next year on tour?

Lineup Announced For Country Thunder Arizona

Jessica Crans — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 00:16:58 +0000

Country Thunder will be rolling into Florence, Arizona from April 11th to the 14th, 2013! Who will be joining them? Just some of country’s biggest acts these days, that’s all! Artists such as Lady Antebellum, Toby Keith, Eric Church, Brantley Gilbert, Lee Brice, Kip Moore and many more (all are listed below) will be there, and you can be too! You’ll need a 4-day admission wristband in order to get into the shows and right now they’re available at a special early bird rate of only $99! But you’ll need to act on this early bird rate fast – and super fast- because tonight at 11:59pm Central, the prices goes up to $120. To order your tickets, and for other ticket details, head on over to www.countrythunder.com or call (866) 802-6418.

Country Thunder 2013 will feature more on-site entertainment than ever before. The premier festival will offer a wide array of lifestyles activities ranging from Electric Thunder, which features electric music nightly, to thrill rides. And this year will feature the brand new Bluegrass tent.

2013 lineup:

Thursday:
4:00-5:00pm Chris Janson
5:30-6:30pm Sweetwater Rain
7:00-8:30pm Kip Moore
9:00-10:30pm Brantley Gilbert

Friday:
1:00-2:00pm TBA
2:30-3:30pm TBA
4:00-5:00pm Jana Kramer
5:30-6:30pm Love & Theft
7:00-8:30pm Tracy Lawrence
9:00-10:30pm Eric Church

Saturday:
1:00-2:00pm TBA
2:30-3:30pm Morgan Frazier
4:00-5:00pm Parmalee
5:30-6:30pm Diamond Rio
7:00-8:30pm Lee Brice
9:00-10:30pm Toby Keith

Sunday:
1:00-2:00pm TBA
2:30-3:30pm Edens Edge
4:00-5:00pm TBA
5:30-6:30pm Jerrod Niemann
7:00-8:30pm Justin Moore
9:00-10:30pm Lady Antebellum

Get your tickets now for Country Thunder at www.countrythunder.com so you don’t miss out on the fabulous $99 early bird special!

Lee Brices Takes Over Number One With Hard To Love

Lydia Picknell — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 22:12:09 +0000

CMA “New Artist of the Year” nominee Lee Brice earns a second consecutive No. one hit off his current “HARD 2 LOVE” album today as its title track takes the top spot on both the Billboard and Mediabase charts. The gold certified single follows Brice’s “A Woman Like You,” which set the pace earlier this year with Platinum certification and chart-topping status.

Lee shares how blown away he is from the support of country fans and radio:

“I think guys like us on the road can certainly relate to being hard to love a lot of times…or just guys in general. I loved this song before it was even finished being written and am blown away that my fans and country radio supported it all the way to No. one.”

The hitmaker recently announced that he has teamed up with American Songwriter for their annual Lyric Contest as the 2013 Grand Prize “dream co-write.” The winning aspiring songwriter will win a trip to Nashville where they’ll spend the day writing with Brice. Over the contest’s more nearly thirty-year history, the magazine has offered Grand Prize co-writes with Rodney Crowell, Bobby Braddock and Chris Stapleton among other notable songwriters.

In addition to his “New Artist of the Year” CMA nomination, Brice is also currently nominated for three ACA’s for “Artist of the Year: Breakthrough” and “Single of the Year: Breakthrough Artist” and “Song of the Year” for “A Woman Like You.”