With the 2012 CMA Music Festival right around the corner, CMA is looking for the best and brightest volunteers to lend a hand during the four-day event, held Thursday through Sunday, June 7-10, in Downtown Nashville.

Anyone interested in volunteering can attend the CMA Volunteer Fair on Thursday, April 12 (from 4:30-7:30 PM/CT) or Saturday, April 14 (from 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM/CT) at the CMA office at One Music Circle South, Nashville, TN 37203 to fill out an application and learn more about the volunteer opportunities. Those who cannot attend the Volunteer Fair may also submit an application online at CMAfest.com.

This marks the third consecutive year that the Country Music Association has asked fans from across the nation to support the Nashville and Country Music communities by serving as ambassadors during the Festival.

“CMA Music Festival could not achieve the success it has without the significant contributions from our volunteers,” said Steve Moore, CMA Chief Executive Officer.  “Through their generous efforts and hard work, we are able to ‘Keep the Music Playing’ in Metro Nashville Public Schools while also shining a huge international spotlight on Music City and Country Music.”

CMA Music Festival has made huge strides in supporting Nashville’s music education programs with $6.1 million donated to date, but it has also contributed by highlighting the city as a thriving tourist destination. According to the Nashville Convention and Visitors Bureau, direct visitor spending generated by the Festival in 2011 totaled more than $30 million.

Celebrating its 41^st year since the inaugural Fan Fair® in 1972, the CMA Music Festival is Nashville’s signature music event.  Dubbed by USA Today as “the crown jewel of Country Music festivals,” the four-day event features concerts, autograph signings, contests and games, family activities, and more. In 2011, the Festival drew a daily average of 65,000 fans from all 50 states, as well as 26 foreign territories.

Some volunteer requirements apply: You must be at least 18 years old, in good physical health, and able to work a minimum of two days during the Festival. Many of the jobs require standing for long periods of time, extensive walking, some light lifting, and outside duties in the heat (and possible rain). Jobs range from manning the information booths, to handing out product samples, to keeping the photo lines running smoothly. Some posts require a valid Tennessee driver’s license. Volunteers are needed for CMA Music Festival events beginning Wednesday, June 6 through Sunday, June 10. CMA will provide volunteers with parking, event T-shirts, catering during working hours, and two tickets to one of the nightly shows at LP Field.

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Martina McBride photo courtesy of Republic Nashville.

Individual tickets to the Nightly Concerts at LP Field during CMA Music Festival will go on sale Saturday, April 14 at 11/10 AM CT. Tickets will be $40 for general admission in the upper deck of LP Field and can be purchased through Ticketmaster.com or by calling 1 (800) 745-3000 or through CMAfest.com or 1 (800) CMA-FEST (262-3378).

Four-day ticket packages are still available and start at $125 per person. They include admission to all four Nightly Concerts as well as all daytime festival activities, including the Fan Fair Fall where artist autograph signing sessions are held. Children three years and younger are admitted free.

Additionally, Martina McBride, Jake Owen and Hunter Hayes have been added to the Nightly Concerts. This will mark Hunter’s first performance at LP Field during CMA Music Festival. CMA will announce more artists joining the lineup soon. The Nightly Concerts will once again be filmed for a concert special airing on ABC later in the year.

The current lineups for the Nightly Concerts are as follows in alphabetical order:

Thursday, June 7:  Jason Aldean, Lady Antebellum, Brad Paisley, and Zac Brown Band

Friday, June 8:  The Band Perry, Brantley Gilbert, Jake Owen, Blake Shelton, and Carrie Underwood   Continue Reading

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Chris Young photo by Randee St. Nicholas, courtesy of Sony Music Nashville.

Chris Young will host the CMA’s Third Annual Keep the Music Playing All Stars Concert on January 31 at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville. The event will showcase groups from Metro Nashville Public Schools who have benefited from the CMA’s Keep the Music Playing program.

Five Nashville school groups will perform during the show, including a special duet with Suzy Bogguss and the Glengarry Elementary Orff Ensemble and Singers. Chris will perform with Nashville School of the Arts students Mignon Grabois and Charley Woods, who performed their rendition of “If I Die Young” during the CMA Awards in November.

“This event is an inspiring reminder of what students can achieve if given the right tools and support,” Steve Moore, CMA Chief Executive Officer, said. “We’re extremely grateful to the artists who played during the 2011 CMA Music Festival for giving the next generation of musicians the opportunity to learn the joys of music and shine on this exquisite stage.”

“Keeping the arts alive in schools is influential on their growth as students and young adults,” Chris said. “Music education played an important role in my childhood and I’m proud to be a part of this Keep the Music Playing event.” Continue Reading

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Luke Bryan photo courtesy of Capitol Nashville.

Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Faith Hill, Lady Antebellum, Brad Paisley, Rascal Flatts, and Zac Brown Band have been added to the lineup for the Nightly Concerts at LP Field during this year’s CMA Music Festival. Jason Aldean, The Band Perry and Carrie Underwood were previously announced as performers. This year’s CMA Fest will take place June 7-10 in Nashville.

Faith will be returning to the CMA Fest stage for the first time since 2008 after debuting her current single, “Come Home,” on the CMA Awards, while Eric will be making his LP Field debut. Fans can purchase tickets through Ticketmaster at Ticketmaster.com or 1-(800)-745-3000. They can also purchase them by calling 1-(800)-CMA-FEST (262-3378). Continue Reading

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Martina McBride photo courtesy of Republic Nashville.

This year saw the return of four of country music’s biggest female stars: Martina McBride, Sara Evans, Shania Twain and Faith Hill.

Martina changed records labels and released her first new album, Eleven, since 2009. The album spawned the hits “Teenage Daughters” and “I’m Gonna Love You Through It.” Martina celebrated the release by embarking on a cross-country train tour, which ended with a special performance at the Empire State Building.

Read our review of Martina McBride’s Eleven! >>

“This is such an amazing time in my life and my career,” Martina said when she announced her new album’s release. “I feel like I’ve been given the support and power to go into the studio and write and create an album that pushes the boundaries of what people expect of me, while still being true to myself.”

Sara released her first new music since 2005’s Real Fine Place when Stronger hit store shelves on March 8. The album featured the No. 1 hit CMA-nominated hit “A Little Bit Stronger,” which was also a part of the movie Country Strong. Sara also returned to the road, touring with Rascal Flatts on their Flatts Fest summer tour and performed on both the ACM and CMA Awards.

“This song has had the biggest emotional response of any other single I’ve ever released,” Sara said after “A Little Bit Stronger” reached No. 1. “I think it is because almost everyone has gone through a difficult time in their life and most people can relate to the line in the song ‘even on my weakest days, I get a little bit stronger.’” Continue Reading

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Jason Aldean photo courtesy of Broken Bow Records.

Jason Aldean and The Band Perry have been announced as performers during the Nightly Concerts at LP Field during the 2012 CMA Music Festival. The CMA Music Festival will take place in downtown Nashville June 7-10. Carrie Underwood was announced as a performer during the LP Field shows last week.

Jason and The Band Perry both picked up their first CMA Awards last month. Jason won Album of the Year for his triple platinum My Kinda Party album as well as Musical Event of the Year for “Don’t You Wanna Stay” with Kelly Clarkson. The Band Perry picked up CMAs for Single of the Year for “If I Die Young” and New Artist of the Year and lead singer Kimberly Perry was awarded the CMA Award for Song of the Year for writing “If I Die Young.” Check out CMA Awards photos HERE. Continue Reading

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Taylor Swift photo by Joseph Anthony Baker, courtesy of Big Machine Records.

Taylor Swift is known for coming up with unique ways to interact withher fans, whether she’s letting them into her life through her video diaries or signing autographs for 13 hours during CMA Music Festival. Her fans return the love, helping Taylor sell millions of albums and concert tickets all over the world, not to mention win numerous fan-voted awards. The reason Taylor believes she has such a strong connection with her fans is because she’s one of them.

“You know, there are a lot of girls my age and a lot of girls that if I lived in their town we’d probably be hanging out,” she says. “With my fans, it feels like there’s a camaraderie and we kind of understand each other. When I walk out on that stage I know that if they’re there that night and if they’re singing along to my songs, they’ve been through the same things that I’ve been through.” Continue Reading

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Trace Adkins will perform during "CMA Music Festival: Country's Night to Rock" airing Sunday, Aug.14, on the ABC Television Network. Trace is pictured performing at the Nightly Concerts at LP Field during the 2011 CMA Music Festival. Photographer: John Russell / CMA.

Trace Adkins has been added to the list of performers appearing during CMA Music Festval: Country’s Night To Rock. The three hour primetime concert special will air on ABC on August 14 at 8/7 CT. The special was taped during this year’s CMA Music Festival in Nashville.

Trace joins a lineup that includes performances at LP Field from Alabama with Brad Paisley, The Band Perry, Josh Turner featuring Scotty McCreery, Zac Brown Band with Alan Jackson , Martina McBride with Lauren Alaina, Jason Aldean with Kelly Clarkson, Sara Evans, Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, Rascal Flatts, Reba, Darius Rucker, Blake Shelton, Sugarland, Taylor Swift,  Keith Urban, Dierks Bentley and Little Big Town. Continue Reading

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Dierks Bentley & Little Big Town photos courtesy of Capitol Nashville.

Dierks Bentley and Little Big Town have been added to the list of performers appearing during the three-hour, primetime special “CMA Music Festival: Country’s Night to Rock. The special, filmed during this year’s CMA Music Festival, airs Sunday, August 7 at 8/7 CT on ABC.

“The strength of this television special, and the format, is the diversity of our stars and the depth of their talent,” Steve Moore, CMA Chief Executive Officer, said. “No matter what your taste, or which end of the country music spectrum you chose, you will find artists and performances in the special that will keep you entertained.” Continue Reading

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Charlie Daniels photo courtesy of Webster PR.

Charlie Daniels has been making music for more than 50 years. When he played the Merced County Fair in California on June 16, the audience spanned from the young to the old, a mark of how his music has withstood the years. Charlie told the Merced Sun Star that he intended to stay in the game for a very long time from the beginning.

“The bottom line is, it’s a blessing from the good Lord,” Charlie told the paper. “I wanted longevity in my career – that was one of my main things when I started. I didn’t want to come in and stay a little while and leave because I did this of course to make a living, but I also do it because I love it. I really enjoy entertaining people and I want to be around for a long time. I put a lot into it. I try to surround myself with really good musicians.”

Being in the industry so long, Charlie has witnessed a lot of change. Country music today sounds a lot different than it did when Charlie started out and he’s taken notice. “I don’t listen to the radio, I really don’t,” he said. “That’s not a derogatory statement – I don’t understand the music anymore. A lot of it sounds like the same song over and over again to me. Somebody was probably saying the same thing about my music when I first started, so maybe it’s my age.” Continue Reading

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