Artist News (1/28/13)

Billy Ray Cyrus released the single “Hillbilly Heart” (written by Cyrus) to country radio on Monday (Jan. 28).

“Let’s get this party started!” Cyrus says of the track. “I’m so excited about ‘Hillbilly Heart.’ I wrote this song as a tip of the hat to my pure love of country music … past, present and future. It’s a blend of my early musical roots; Outlaw Country (Waylon Jennings, Hank Williams, Jr.) mixed with my Southern rock heroes (Lynyrd Skynyrd and Charlie Daniels), all fusing together for a feel-good anthem that I can’t wait to share with radio and fans!”

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Kip Moore debuted the single “Hey Pretty Girl” on Monday (Jan. 28). The song is the third single from his first album Up All Night and follows two consecutive No. 1 songs, “Somethin’ ‘Bout A Truck” and “Beer Money.”

“‘Hey Pretty Girl’ for me is where I think every man and woman desires to be at some point in their life,” explains Kip.  “I am not at that place in my life right now, but I’m not going to fool myself.  At some point we all desire to have that person that knows you inside out and cares about you.”

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Willie Nelson and Little Big Town are slated to perform at Jazz & Heritage Festival 2013 on May 3 and 4, respectively. More than a dozen musical artists, including Fleetwood Mac and Maroon 5, are expected to take the stage in the Big Easy between April 26 and May 5.

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Terri Clark will release her 10th studio album, Classic, on Jan. 29. The album features duets of classic country songs with Dierks Bentley, Reba, Tanya Tucker, Dean Brody and Jann Arden. The first song shipped to country radio is a cover of the George Jones/Tammy Wynette duet “Golden Ring,” featuring Bentley.

“I tried really hard to pick a song or two from every decade from the ‘50s to the ‘80s,” says Clark.  “This is the type of project I’ve wanted to do my whole life and it represents so many things for me.  My family roots, the Opry, my influences, and many of the songs that make up the fabric of country music.”

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Scarletta will perform the National Anthem and a pre-race concert on the Spring Fan Zone Stage prior to the DRIVE4COPD 300 NASCAR Nationwide Series season opener at Daytona International Speedway on February 23. Fans can watch the performance live on ESPN starting at 1 p.m. EST.

Scarletta: Benji Harris, Aubrey Collins, and Nathan Stoops